The leadership crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) escalated sharply on Tuesday after the factional National Executive Committee (NEC) aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, ratified the expulsion of three sitting governors Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), and Dauda Lawal (Zamfara).
Also expelled were former Board of Trustees Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, ex–National Vice Chairman Bode George, and recently elected National Chairman Kabiru Turaki, SAN.
The decision comes just days after the controversial national convention in Ibadan, where Wike and his allies were themselves expelled an action that deepened the rift and set the stage for Tuesday’s showdown at the party’s national secretariat, Wadata Plaza, Abuja.
Both factions had scheduled parallel NEC and Board of Trustees meetings, resulting in heightened tension as loyalists of the opposing blocs clashed over control of the party structure.
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At its factional meeting in Abuja, the Wike-aligned NEC dissolved the State Executive Committees in Oyo, Bauchi, Zamfara, Yobe, Lagos, and Ekiti, ordering the creation of caretaker committees and fresh congresses.
Reading the communiqué, National Secretary Senator Sam Anyanwu said the NEC reviewed a report by Acting National Chairman Abdulrahman Mohammed, which cited alleged breaches of Articles 58(1) and 59(1) of the party’s constitution—including anti-party activities, disobedience to court orders, and conduct capable of tarnishing the party’s image.
The faction also approved disciplinary proceedings against several prominent members, including Udom Emmanuel, Emmanuel Ogidi, Ben Obi, and others, as the PDP’s internal war shows no sign of abating.
