Wike, Anyanwu, Fayose Fight Back as PDP Convention Turns Turbulent

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was thrown into fresh turmoil after its elective national convention in Ibadan ended in a wave of expulsions, boycotts, and disputes, prompting an immediate backlash from some of the party’s most influential figures. FCT minister Nyesom Wike, former Ekiti governor Ayodele Fayose, and suspended national secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu rejected their expulsion, describing the exercise as illegal and unconstitutional.

The convention, held at the Lekan Salami Stadium, ratified Ambassador Umaru Damagum as the party’s national chairman, but tensions escalated when a motion moved by former deputy national chairman (South), Chief Olabode George, led to the expulsion of several high-ranking members. Those affected included Wike, Fayose, Anyanwu, former national legal adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN), Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, George Turner, and Hon. Umar Bature. George accused them of engaging in activities designed to undermine the party’s cohesion.

In swift reactions, the expelled personalities dismissed the process. Wike’s aide Lere Olayinka mocked the Ibadan gathering, likening it to a social outing rather than a political convention with binding authority. Anyanwu insisted that the decisions reached had no legal foundation because a court had nullified his earlier suspension, and INEC officials were absent throughout the two-day event. He argued that any decisions taken without INEC’s oversight amounted to a nullity.

Adamawa governor Ahmadu Fintiri, who chaired the 2025 convention planning committee, disowned the expulsions as well, saying the move was not in the party’s best interest. He reaffirmed his commitment to unity and warned against actions capable of further destabilising the party ahead of critical political cycles.

The absence of INEC officials was a major setback acknowledged by Zamfara governor Dauda Lawal, who informed delegates that certain activities could not proceed due to ongoing court orders restraining the commission from monitoring the event. Despite this, delegates moved to formalise Damagum’s leadership, bringing temporary closure to the long-running leadership uncertainty.

Attendance by top party leaders also reflected the widening cracks. Only four governors—Bala Mohammed, Dauda Lawal, Ahmadu Fintiri, and host Seyi Makinde—were present. Governors Ademola Adeleke, Siminalayi Fubara, and Agbu Kefas stayed away, as did former governor Sule Lamido. The PDP Board of Trustees added to the confusion by distancing itself from a leaked reconciliation document proposing the installation of a caretaker committee. BoT chairman Senator Adolphus Wabara warned that no one should attempt to subvert the party’s constitutionally prescribed procedures.

Complications deepened when the Kebbi State chapter withdrew from the convention entirely, accusing the screening committee of clearing former minister Kabiru Tanimu Turaki for chairmanship despite unresolved legal concerns. The chapter described the clearance as a reward for illegitimacy and vowed not to participate in any process tainted from the outset.

Ibadan, however, remained lively throughout the event as delegates in party colours filled the venue, with hotels packed and Governor Makinde hosting a pre-convention dinner. In his address, Makinde praised the resilience of party members and declared the 2025 convention a defining moment, while calling for unity as preparations for the 2027 general elections begin.

In one of the day’s most far-reaching decisions, the convention dissolved party structures in Imo, Abia, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers. Makinde, who moved the motion, said the affected structures at ward, local government, and state levels had been legally dissolved following congresses held between 2024 and 2025. The decision was immediately adopted by the convention.