November 17, 2025
By Ayinde Adeleke
The faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has rejected the expulsion of several prominent party leaders announced at the party’s national convention held on Saturday in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The rejection came hours after four state chapters of the party also distanced themselves from the outcome of the convention, in what party insiders describe as a growing revolt against Governor Seyi Makinde’s alleged bid to tighten his grip on the PDP structure in the South-West.
Over 3,000 delegates attended the convention in Ibadan, where new national officers were elected despite conflicting court orders. The Federal High Court in Abuja had, on Friday, directed the PDP to suspend the convention and restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from monitoring the process. A separate court order from Oyo State reportedly allowed the exercise to proceed.
Despite the Abuja court ruling, the convention went ahead, leading to the ratification of disciplinary actions against some senior party figures—decisions that Wike’s camp has now dismissed as illegal and unacceptable.
The disgruntled factions argue that the convention violated subsisting court directives and lacked the required uniformity of support across the states. They maintain that any decisions taken at the gathering, including expulsions and new appointments, cannot stand.
As of Sunday morning, the PDP national leadership had yet to issue an official response to the widening dispute. However, party sources say discussions are ongoing to prevent the crisis from escalating ahead of future electoral cycles.
