The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party escalated on Saturday following the expulsion of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and 10 other high-ranking leaders over alleged anti-party activities.
The decision was taken at the PDP’s 20th National Convention at the main bowl of the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Those also expelled include a former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose; the party’s National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu; the National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade; and Austin Nwachukwu.
Others are the factional chairman of the party, Mohammed Abdulrahman; Senator Mao Ohuabunwa; Austine Nwachukwu; Abraham Amah; George Turner; and Chief Dan Orbih.
A motion for the expulsion was moved by the former National Vice Chairman of the party (South), Chief Olabode George, and seconded by the Bauchi PDP Chairman, Samaila Burga, before its eventual adoption by the party’s delegates.
At the convention, the delegates also unanimously confirmed Umaru Damagum as the substantive National Chairman of the party.
The convention sparked divisions among the governors loyal to Damagum, as two of them—Governor Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State, who chaired the National Organising Committee of the convention, and the Governor of Plateau State, Caleb Mutfwang—dissociated themselves from Wike’s expulsion.
The PDP has been engulfed in crises in recent months, with factions loyal to Wike and Damagum clashing over control of the party’s structure.
This culminated in a bitter confrontation before the convention.
Ahead of the convention, former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking justice after being denied the opportunity to purchase the PDP national chairmanship nomination form.
On Friday, Justice Peter Lifu ordered the party to suspend the convention.
He also restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission from supervising, monitoring, or recognising any convention conducted by the PDP that did not include Lamido as a contestant.
Justice Lifu held that evidence before the court showed that Lamido had been denied the opportunity to obtain a nomination form to contest for the position of National Chairman.
Recall that on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, Justice Lifu delivered a similar ruling restraining the PDP from holding the convention, which was intended to elect new national officers to lead the party.
Lamido, through his counsel, Jephthah Njikonye, SAN, had filed an ex parte motion seeking an interim injunction to halt the convention pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu held that the plaintiff’s application had merit and consequently restrained the PDP from convening the event until the substantive matter before the court was resolved.
He noted that there was no reason to depart from an earlier ruling by Justice James Omotosho of the same court on October 31, 2025, which similarly halted the convention.
However, in a conflicting order, the Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan on November 3 permitted the PDP to proceed with the convention.
Justice Ladiran Akintola, ruling on an ex parte application filed by an Oyo PDP member, Mr Folahan Adelabi, directed INEC to attend and monitor the convention for the election of new national officers.
The Damagum camp went ahead with the programme, claiming no knowledge of Justice Lifu’s Friday order.
