Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, finds itself locked in an unprecedented leadership battle, with two rival factions issuing competing expulsion orders and disclaimers against each other in a crisis that threatens to tear the party apart ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The faction aligned with Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike issued a formal disclaimer on Wednesday through its National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, reaffirming the expulsion of 18 prominent party members, including three serving governors and several former national officers. The move came barely 24 hours after the rival Kabiru Tanimu Turaki-led faction announced it had issued expulsion certificates to Wike himself and 10 of his key allies.
At the heart of the dispute lies the question of legitimacy following a controversial national convention held on November 16, 2025, in Ibadan, Oyo State, where Turaki, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former Minister of Special Duties, emerged as the new National Chairman after polling 1,516 votes [Daily Post Nigeria](https://dailypost.ng/2025/11/16/ibadan-convention-kabiru-turaki-elected-pdp-national-chairman/) . The convention also saw the expulsion of Wike, former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, and Anyanwu over allegations of anti-party activities.
The Wike faction, however, has refused to recognize the Ibadan convention’s outcomes. In its Wednesday disclaimer, the group described the Ibadan gathering as a mere social event and “a charade,” insisting it did not comply with existing court judgments and therefore cannot be regarded as a legitimate national convention.
Anyanwu warned that anyone claiming to be a national officer from the Ibadan event is an impostor and should not be taken seriously.
During its own National Executive Committee meeting held on November 18 at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, the Wike faction ratified the expulsion of Governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State.
Others expelled include former Board of Trustees Chairman Senator Adolphus Wabara, former Deputy National Chairman (South) Taofeek Arapaja, who now serves as National Secretary in the Turaki-led structure, and former Deputy National Chairman (South) Chief Bode George.
The faction’s Acting National Chairman, Mohammed Abdulrahman, justified the expulsions by citing violations of party rules. He stated that the affected members’ disregard for court judgments brought the party into disrepute, adding that the faction approved the commencement of disciplinary procedures against 18 officials for breaches including anti-party activities, disobedience to court orders, and conduct bringing the party into disrepute.
The Wike faction also dissolved State Executive Councils in Bauchi, Oyo, Zamfara, Yobe, Lagos, Edo, and Ekiti States, directing the immediate constitution of caretaker committees to conduct fresh congresses in these states.
Not to be outdone, the Turaki-led faction on Tuesday announced it had issued certificates of expulsion to Wike and 10 others, including Anyanwu, Fayose, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, factional National Chairman Abdulrahman Mohammed, and several state chairmen .
Turaki told journalists that the certificates had been dispatched via courier service to serve as proof that the recipients were no longer PDP members.
In what appeared to be a deliberate taunt, Turaki explained that the expelled members could use the certificates when registering with other political parties to show they no longer belonged to the PDP, thereby avoiding accusations of dual membership.
He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission and security agencies to take note of the expulsions, warning that anyone doing business with the expelled individuals as PDP representatives does so at their own risk.
The battle for control extends beyond paper expulsions. Physical confrontations erupted at the PDP headquarters in Abuja, with Governor Makinde, Governor Mohammed, and Turaki forcing their way into the National Executive Committee hall alongside members of the Ibadan-produced National Working Committee, while police fired teargas to disperse supporters.
The origins of the current crisis trace back to long-standing internal disputes within the PDP following its 2023 general election defeat. Tensions escalated after Wike, who served as Rivers State governor under the PDP, accepted a ministerial appointment in the All Progressives Congress-led administration of President Bola Tinubu. His continued involvement in PDP affairs while serving in an opposition government drew sharp criticism from party members who accused him of working to destabilize the party from within.
The legal landscape surrounding the leadership tussle remains complex. Multiple court judgments have been issued regarding the convention, including one from Federal High Court Judge James Omotosho on October 31 that halted the convention, and another from Oyo State High Court Judge A.L. Akintola on November 4 that ordered the PDP to proceed with the convention and directed INEC to monitor it.
Both factions have vowed to pursue constitutional actions to assert their legitimacy. The Wike faction has directed its legal team to commence proceedings to recover the seats of all elected officials who allegedly defected from the party, while the Turaki faction insists it represents the authentic leadership structure recognized by the party’s constitution.
The escalating war of expulsions leaves the PDP in a precarious position. With two rival National Working Committees claiming legitimacy, parallel state structures being dissolved and reconstituted, and party members forced to choose between competing power centers, the opposition party faces its most serious existential threat since its formation.
Political observers note that the protracted leadership crisis could severely undermine the PDP’s ability to provide effective opposition to the ruling APC and mount a credible challenge in the 2027 elections. The party, which governed Nigeria from 1999 to 2015, has struggled to recover from its 2023 electoral defeats and internal divisions that followed.
As both factions dig in for what promises to be a prolonged battle, the ultimate resolution may lie in the courts or through intervention by elder statesmen.
Until then, the PDP remains a house divided, with each faction claiming to represent the party’s legitimate leadership structure while denouncing the other as impostors and meddlesome interlopers.
