Ahmed Ogembe, former Senator for Kogi Central, has rejected the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) announcement of his suspension, asserting, “You cannot suspend someone who is no longer under your platform.” The PDP had suspended Ogembe over allegations that he undermined the party by orchestrating the collapse of its structure in Okene Local Government Area into the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Ogembe’s defiance highlights deepening fractures within Kogi PDP, already weakened by several high-profile defections. He previously served as a key PDP figure before officially defecting to the ADC, a move that has intensified the party’s internal crisis.
Simultaneously, a notable exodus from the PDP is underway in Lagos State, where former PDP chairman Tunji Shelle, alongside other senior members, resigned to join the ADC. Speaking at a formal induction ceremony, Shelle condemned the PDP for “gross indiscipline and endless crises,” accusing its national leadership, including Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike, of covertly supporting the ruling APC while still within PDP’s ranks.
Shelle stated, “Wike cannot hijack the party, and the rest of us continue to look as if we are helpless or we are no human beings. I don’t take it. I don’t like being subjected to such ridicule.” He further expressed that the current leadership is “compromised,” prompting his and others’ defection which “has further weakened the PDP in Lagos.”
Welcomed into the ADC by National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola, Shelle described the new party as composed of “tested and trusted politicians” poised to challenge APC’s dominance in the 2027 elections.
