The crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) escalated sharply on Tuesday as a faction of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, ratified the expulsion of three serving governors and several prominent party leaders.
The factional NEC announced the expulsion of Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, and Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State. Also expelled were former Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Adolphus Wabara; former Deputy National Chairman, Chief Bode George; and the newly elected National Chairman, Kabiru Turaki, SAN.
Tuesday’s development comes just days after the controversial national convention held in Ibadan, where Wike and his loyalists were themselves expelled, an action that has deepened the division in the party’s leadership structure.
The dispute boiled over at the party’s national secretariat, Wadata Plaza, Abuja, where both factions had scheduled parallel NEC and BoT meetings, resulting in a tense confrontation between supporters of the rival camps.
Meeting at the secretariat, the factional NEC also dissolved the PDP state executive councils in Oyo, Bauchi, Zamfara, Yobe, Lagos, and Ekiti States, directing that caretaker committees be set up and fresh congresses conducted.
In a communiqué read by the faction’s National Secretary, Senator Sam Anyanwu, the NEC accused the affected governors and party leaders of violating critical provisions of the PDP Constitution.
According to the statement, “NEC received the report of the Acting National Chairman, Hon. Abdulrahman Mohammed, detailing breaches of Articles 58(1) and 59(1), including anti-party activities, disobedience to court orders, and conduct bringing the party into disrepute.”
The communiqué added that the NEC had approved the commencement of disciplinary procedures against several other prominent members, including Adolphus Wabara, Bode George, Ben N. Obi, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, Bala Mohammed, Oluseyi Makinde, Dauda Lawal, Taofiq Arapaja, Setonji Koshoedo, and others.
The party’s crisis continues to widen, with both factions laying claim to the legitimacy of the NEC and the authority to administer disciplinary actions. The PDP has yet to issue a unified statement addressing the deepening split.
