The deepening crisis within Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has escalated with the faction loyal to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, summoning an emergency meeting of its key decision-making bodies.
The meetings, called by National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, for Tuesday, are seen as a critical response to a move by a rival faction that last week declared Mr Wike, Mr Anyanwu, and other key figures expelled from the party.
The National Executive Committee (NEC) and Board of Trustees (BOT) are set to meet at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, with the agenda expected to focus on the party’s survival and a potential counter-strategy.
The PDP’s internal strife, which has simmered since its loss in the 2023 presidential election, boiled over at a controversial national convention held in Ibadan last Saturday.
There, a faction led by PDP Governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, asserting control, announced the expulsion of several prominent members deemed to be “anti-party.”
The list included FCT Minister Nyesom Wike—a former PDP governor who now serves in President Bola Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government—as well as former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose, and crucially, the party’s own National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu.
The Ibadan faction accused them of “working against the interests of the party,” a reference primarily to Mr Wike’s close alliance with the ruling APC, which his critics label as sabotage.
The expulsion move, however, is not recognised by the factional group. This faction, still operating under the leadership of the acting National Chairman and Samuel Anyanwu, has now fired back with the summons for an emergency meeting.
In the invitation, Mr Anyanwu stressed that “attendance is very important as crucial matters will be discussed and addressed.”
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