– Convention Expels Wike, Fayose, Anyanwu, Orbih, Bature, Seven Others
November 16, (THEWILL) — While the courts were busy giving conflicting judgements on the legality of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, national convention, preparations were in top gear at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan venue of the event scheduled to take place on November 15 and 16, 2025. Delegates from the 36 states of the federation were already in the Oyo State capital when two courts gave conflicting judgements on the convention.
As the convention got underway, Chief Olabode George, former National Vice-Chairman of the party, South moved the motion for the expulsion of members of the group led by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, from the party. Samaila Burga, Chairman of PDP in Bauchi State seconded the motion. Chief George cited articles 33(2), (2) j, n and r of the party’s constitution 2017 as amended which states that “the national convention of the party shall have supremacy in all matters pertaining to the party and all officers and organs of the party including matters of the discipline of the officers and members.”
He then read out aloud the names of the expelled members. They are Wike, former Ekiti governor, Ayodele Fayose, former National Secretary, Simon Anyanwu, former National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, National Chairman of the Wike group, Mohammed Abdulrahman, BoT Chairman of the group, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, Austin Nwachukwu, Abraham Amah, George Turner and Chief Dan Orbih.
Meanwhile, four of the eight state governors elected on the platform of the party, namely Adamu Fintiri of Adamawa State, Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State, Bala Mohamamed of Bauchi state and Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State had arrived in Ibadan on Friday to join the host governor Seyi Makinde. Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State and his Taraba counterpart, Agbu Kefas were conspicuously absent. Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State was represented by his deputy, Kola Adewusi. The governing All Progressives Congress, APC, announced on Friday day that the party was expecting Agbu’s defection soon.
The Taraba State governor had confirmed the story of his planned defection, first reported by THEWILL in our September 28, 2025 edition, titled, “Quake in PDP: 4 More Govs to Dump Party for APC as Jonathan Seeks Alliance with ADC in Comeback Bid,” when he hinted at his imminent departure from the PDP to APC during a meeting with APC and PDP stakeholders at the Banquet Hall of TY Danjuma House in Jalingo, last week.
Also present at the convention were former governors Babangida Muazu of Niger State, Ahmed Makarfi of Kaduna State, Achike Udenwa of Imo State and Chief Ben Obi alongside some members of the National Working Committee of the party led by National Chairman, Umar Damagun and many state Chairmen, BoT members.
Prior to the national convention, however, two warring groups had emerged, one led by Damagun, while the other one, loyal to the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Minister, Nyesom Wike, appointed Mohammed Abdulrahman as Chairman and PDP’s National and Samuel Anyanwu as Secretary, following a disagreement over administrative and logistics issues connected with the convention.
According to a dependable party source, holding the national convention was part of an ongoing power play within the party amid its deepening leadership crisis.
“The crisis in our party is now about a big power play, about who has the power to determine outcomes for the generality of the members,” the source told THEWILL on Friday, adding, “The National Chairman, Umar Damagun-led group has seven governors, members of the Board of Trustees and many state chairmen on its side, as against the group led by Wike who is relying on the courts to settle the lingering crisis in the party.”
ELECTED NATIONAL WORKING COMMITTEE, NWC, MEMBERS
Following the general zoning formula approved by the party’s NEC, retaining the National Chairmanship in the North and Presidency in the South, all other NWC positions remained in their respective regions. While the South-South retained the positions of Deputy National Chairman and National Publicity Secretary, the South-West got the positions of National Secretary and National Auditor, while the positions of Deputy National Secretary and Financial Secretary went to the South-East.
Instructively, elected key officials at the convention had earlier emerged as consensus candidates of their respective geo-political zones. For example, the candidates for two key positions in the NWC, that is the National Chairman and National Secretary were already known before voting started. They are former Minister of Special Duties Taminu Turaki, who was endorsed by leaders of the party in the North as the consensus candidate for the position of National Chairman and former Deputy National Chairman, South, Ambassador Toafeek Arapaja, who emerged as the consensus candidate of the Southwest zone for the position of National Secretary at a pre- conventional zonal meeting in Ibadan.
Speaking on this agreement at the convention ground in Ibadan, Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Ibrahim Manga, said, “What we have done in the past four years is to use the unity list. When that is not possible, we go into the convention with consensus candidates. The leaders of our great party, particularly the governors, have agreed that one person be made the National Chairman.”
However, Wike, while in Lagos to meet his ally, former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, who celebrated his 65th birthday anniversary on Friday, described what took place in Ibadan as an act of impunity.
“The convention cannot stand because a court has already delivered judgment against the conduct of the convention,” he said, adding, “Let us obey the judgement of the court.”
Chief Olabode George, a member of the BoT disagreed with Wike. He said the convention had to go on as planned “because Justice Akintola of the Oyo State High Court okayed the convention, four hours after an Abuja Federal High Court had ruled against it.”
He tackled the FCT Minister. “No one individual has the power to make decisions for the party. Every decision has to be collective. Wike has openly said he would vote for President Tinubu in 2027, so why is he still interested in the PDP?”
Foundational National Secretary of the Alliance for Democracy and Director with the Centre for Alternative Policy Perspectives and Strategy (CAPPS), Abuja, Professor Udenta Udenta said that there was more in the prolonged PDP crisis than meets the eyes.
He told THEWILL in a brief interview that the PDP crisis is partly the aim of the federal government to dismantle the apparatuses of multi-party democracy.
“The PDP is seen as the main enemy of the state, a culprit in the bid to stop the president’s re-election. The idea is to ensure that the party does not stand as a force to reckon with in the 2027 general election. I hope the members and owners of the party understand this very well and will have to use all the instruments at their disposal – political, legal and constitutional powers to go through their challenges and overcome the political struggle they have found themselves in. They must take their struggle as an act of political survival. It has nothing to do with political division; it is a grand design by the political powers in the country to make sure the PDP does not hold together and give the governing party a run for its money in the 2027 general election, ” Udenta said.
CONFLICTING JUDGEMENTS
Amid the controversy trailing the disputed convention, two courts gave conflicting judgements on Friday, November 14, 2025.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja gave the first ruling. While delivering judgement in a suit filed by former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, who challenged the party for allegedly denying him the opportunity to purchase the chairmanship nomination form to enable him participate in the convention, Justice Lifu said, “An order is hereby made that before any convention is held, the PDP is to make nomination forms available to the plaintiff.
“In the light of the above, it is hereby held that the convention be put on hold for the plaintiff to obtain a nomination form, campaign and mobilise supporters.” He also directed the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, not to monitor the convention.
Four hours later, the Oyo state High Court sitting in Ibadan ruled that its earlier November 4, 2025 order directing the PDP to follow its timetable for the national convention remains valid.
Justice A.L. Akintola, the presiding judge, issued the order following an ex parte application filed by Folahan Malomo Adelabi. The PDP, its National Chairman Damagum, Governor Umar Fintiri of Adamawa State and Chairman of the 2025 National Convention Organising Committee and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, were listed as defendants in the suit.
After the arguments by the counsel to INEC, O. Adeyemi and counsel to the applicant, Musibau Adetumbi, Justice Akintola adjourned the case to December 8 and ruled that the earlier order of the court issued on November 4 remains valid until the next adjourned date.
“Ruling in this matter is hereby adjourned till 8th December 2025. While the ruling is pending, the earlier orders of interim injunction shall continue to subsist and have effect until the next date of adjournment in this case,” the judge said. The tenure of the current members of the NWC expires on the adjourned date.
Earlier on October 31, 2025, Justice James Omotosho, an Abuja federal high court judge, stopped the PDP from going ahead with the planned national convention.
LAMIDO CONNECTION
Party sources say former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido who got the Abuja Federal High Court judgement stopping the Ibadan convention complicated his case with the party, following alleged association with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, even after the latter’s resignation from the PDP and joining the African Democratic Congress, ADC, creating suspicion of his loyalty to the PDP.
In his reaction after the court judgement, Lamido hinted that party officials failed to notify him about how and when to get the form, saying, “the court has restored my dignity and I feel justified.”
Still, Chief Bode George disagreed with Lamido. He claimed that the former Jigawa governor failed to attend the last National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting of the party where the decision was taken on the timeline for the collection and submission of forms and then showed up on the closing date for the return of the forms.
“There is no way he could have completed and submitted the form on the same because he would not have had people from the six geo-political zones to vouch for him,” George said.
INEC SIGNALS ABSENCE
Despite the order and sequence of the Abuja and Oyo court judgements as the logical basis for the conduct of the convention, INEC made a strong case for staying away during the hearing of the suit on Friday.
O. Adeyemi, counsel to the INEC, moved a motion of preliminary objection challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear the case involving the electoral umpire.
Adeyemi argued that INEC was only subject to the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court. However, Musibau Adetumbi, counsel to the applicant, asked the court to dismiss the preliminary objection and hear the substantive suit. Quoting Section 251 of the Constitution, Adetumbi contended that INEC did not fall within the category of agencies that placed the case exclusively before the Federal High Court
Chief Eddy Olafeso, former National Vice Chairman, South-West, expressed confidence during the reception for delegates at Lekan Salami stadium on Saturday that the Supreme Court ruling on party supremacy was behind the party and ultimately validated for the outcome of the convention.
Reacting to a question on the suggestion by a BoT- approved reconciliation committee chaired by Ambassador Hassan Adamu for the constitution of a caretaker committee to resolve outstanding issues between the warring parties, Olafeso played down the plan, saying that the Wike-led group have been making “intentional and deliberate attempts,” to sabotage the party.
Similarly, BoT Chairman, Senator Adolphos Wabara kicked against the caretaker committee idea. Such an idea cannot be contemplated as the Board and, of course, the PDP, have irreversibly decided on an elective National Convention which is within the scope of the internal affairs of the party to which the courts have no jurisdiction.”
Amos Esele is the Editor of THEWILL Newspaper. He has over two decades of experience on the job.
