By Obinna Uballa
The ongoing crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) escalated on Tuesday as the Kabiru Turaki-led faction, supported by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, announced that it had formally issued expulsion certificates to Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike, former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, and nine other individuals previously expelled by the party’s national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Speaking at a press briefing at the Bauchi State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Turaki said the action was taken to affirm the decisions of the PDP national convention, the party’s highest decision-making organ, and to prevent violations of Nigerian laws on dual party membership.
“We have taken note of the fact that Nigerian law frowns on dual membership of political parties, and so we have sought to make it easy for them. Now that they are no longer members of our party, we have decided to issue them certificates of expulsion,” Turaki said, displaying each of the 11 certificates, which have been dispatched via courier to the affected individuals.
He urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Nigerian Police Force, and other security agencies to take note that the expelled members are no longer part of the PDP.
At the briefing, Turaki also criticised the Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu for failing to adequately protect Nigerians amid rising insecurity. “Nigerians are not safe on the streets, in their workplaces, markets, or homes,” he said. He called for a review of the nation’s security architecture, stressing that state governors, as chief security officers, must have greater operational control over security personnel in their states.
Turaki said the party’s new National Working Committee (NWC) is reviewing handover notes from the previous leadership and preparing for ongoing litigations, including the alleged unlawful closure of PDP offices. He confirmed that former governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Okezie Ikpeazu, recently nominated as ambassadors, had not yet formally notified the party of their appointments.
Osun Primary Controversy
Meanwhile, Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke and other senior PDP figures in the state were absent at Tuesday’s governorship primary, where Adedamola Adebayo emerged as the party’s candidate for the 2026 Osun governorship election. Adebayo secured 919 out of 957 accredited delegate votes in the exercise held in Osogbo.
Despite resigning from the party earlier on Tuesday, Adeleke’s name remained on the ballot. The Secretary of the primary committee, Sunday Solarin, stated that votes cast for Adeleke would be considered void.
The primary was marred by tension, with a fracas reported when Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, confronted individuals allegedly involved in voting irregularities. Some attendees, reportedly members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), were assaulted in the confusion.
Egbedun accused Governor Makinde of meddling in the Osun PDP, warning that the state’s leaders would not accept external interference in their affairs.
INEC has set December 15 as the deadline for political parties to submit their candidates for the August 8, 2026 Osun governorship election.
