A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) loyal to Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister Nyesom Wike has scheduled an emergency meeting of the party’s national executive committee (NEC) and board of trustees (BoT) for Tuesday, deepening the party’s internal crisis.
The meetings will hold at the PDP national secretariat, Wadata Plaza, Abuja. According to a notice issued by Samuel Anyanwu, a close ally of Wike, the BoT session is slated for 11am, while the NEC gathering will follow at 2pm.
The faction insisted that attendance is mandatory as “crucial matters” will be discussed. The invitation marks the 103rd emergency NEC session in the party’s history. Wike’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, shared the notice on X on Monday.
The development comes just days after a rival PDP faction led by former national chairman Umar Damagum organised a national convention in Ibadan.
At the convention, Wike, Anyanwu and ex-Ekiti governor Ayo Fayose were expelled, alongside Umar Bature, Kamaldeen Ajibade, Mao Ohabunwa, Uwachukwu, George Turner, Dan Orbih, Abdulrahman, Austin Nwachukwu and Abraham Amah.
The Ibadan gathering drew the attendance of several prominent figures, including Bauchi governor Bala Mohammed, Adamawa governor Ahmadu Fintiri, Zamfara governor Dauda Lawal, Plateau governor Caleb Mutfwang and Oyo governor Seyi Makinde.
Also at the convention were Ogun PDP governorship candidate Ladi Adebutu; Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan; former Niger governor Babangida Aliyu; and former minister Kabiru Turaki, who emerged as consensus candidate for national chairman.
Other notable attendees included former Kano governor Ibrahim Shekarau, BoT chairman Adolphus Wabara and BoT member Bode George. Osun governor Ademola Adeleke and Taraba governor Agbu Kefas were conspicuously absent.
Despite their presence at the venue, Mutfwang and Fintiri dissociated themselves from the move to expel Wike.
Reacting after the convention, Olayinka dismissed the entire exercise, saying those who attended “decided to start dirty December in November,” adding that “one can’t but ignore whatever comes out of their mouths.” He argued that decisions taken at the event held no weight, insisting “they are free to say anything.”
The Wike-backed camp had attempted to stop the Ibadan convention through legal means, but the Damagum group obtained a court ruling in Oyo state permitting it to go ahead.
