A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) loyal to Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has announced emergency meetings of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) scheduled for Tuesday at the PDP national secretariat in Wadata Plaza, Abuja.
The notice, signed by Samuel Anyanwu, a close ally of Wike, stipulates that the BoT meeting will commence at 11 a.m., while the NEC session is set for 2 p.m. Attendance, the notice emphasized, is mandatory, as “crucial matters” affecting the party will be addressed.
This marks the 103rd emergency NEC meeting in the PDP’s history. Lere Olayinka, media aide to Wike, shared the official notice on his X page on Monday.
The development comes on the heels of a factional national convention held over the weekend in Ibadan by a group led by Umar Damagum, immediate past PDP national chairman. At that convention, the group controversially expelled Wike, Anyanwu, Ayo Fayose, former governor of Ekiti, and several other prominent party figures. Among those expelled were Umar Bature, Kamaldeen Ajibade, Mao Ohabunwa, Uwachukwu, George Turner, Dan Orbih, Abdulrahman, Austin Nwachukwu, and Abraham Amah.
Governors Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), and Seyi Makinde (Oyo) attended the Ibadan convention, along with former governors, senators, and other senior party leaders. Notably absent were Ademola Adeleke (Osun) and Agbu Kefas (Taraba). Mutfwang and Fintiri reportedly distanced themselves from the expulsion decisions.
In a statement issued Saturday evening, Olayinka dismissed the Ibadan convention’s actions, saying, “They went to Ibadan to start dirty December in November,” and adding, “one can’t but ignore whatever comes out of their mouths.” He emphasized that the convention’s decisions were irrelevant, noting, “They are free to say anything.”
The Wike-led faction had attempted to halt the Ibadan convention through the courts but was overruled when another faction obtained a high court judgment in Oyo permitting the event to proceed.