The People’s Democratic Party has officially dispatched expulsion certificates to 11 key figures, including former governors Nyesom Wike and Ayodele Fayose, in what the party describes as a strategic move to cleanse its ranks ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The development was disclosed during a post-meeting briefing in Abuja following a session of the PDP National Working Committee.
National Chairman Kabiru Turaki, SAN, told journalists that the decision underscores the party’s determination to enforce discipline and curb prolonged internal sabotage.
The certificates, he said, had been sent via courier to the affected individuals, which also include Senator Samuel Anyanwu, Umaru Bature, Kamarudeen Ajibade (SAN), Abdurahman Muhammad, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, Austin Nwachukwu, Abraham Amah Nnanna, George Turna, and Dan Orbih.
“They have been expelled. They remain expelled. We have now certified their expulsion, and these certificates have been sent to them,” Turaki stated.
The chairman added that the move formally notifies INEC, the police, DSS, NSCDC, and other institutions that the expelled individuals are no longer members of the PDP.
“Very soon, members of the society will be informed via proper disclaimers that any person, henceforth, who decides to do business with them, any or all of them (in the name of the PDP), does so at his or her own risk,” he said.
Osun Governorship Primary and Party Processes
Turaki confirmed that the NWC had reviewed and ratified the Osun State congresses conducted to select ad hoc delegates.
He emphasized that the Osun governorship primary was progressing smoothly, with Senator Ademola Adeleke still a party member and aspirant.
“As I speak to you now, primaries are ongoing… Governor Adeleke’s name is one of the aspirants vying for the ticket,” he said.
He further clarified that although a resignation letter purportedly from Adeleke surfaced online, no official communication had been received by the NWC.
“The strength of the PDP does not lie in individual political officeholders but in the loyalty of its base,” Turaki added.
“Our power, our strength, is not in who are members of the National Assembly or who are the governors of our party. It is in the people, and that is why the PDP is the people’s party,” he noted.
Regarding former governors Okezie Ikpeazu and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, recently nominated for ambassadorial roles, Turaki said:
“If they come to us, we will certainly consider it on its merit… but for now, we have not received any communication.”
National Security and Legal Challenges
The PDP chairman also criticized national security under the APC-led government, calling for an overhaul of the security architecture.
“Nigerians are not safe on the streets, in their workplaces, on the farms, in the markets or in their homes. Every citizen lives and walks in perpetual fear. That must change,” he said.
He stressed that governors cannot be considered chief security officers when they have no operational control over security agencies.
Turaki confirmed that the NWC reviewed ongoing legal cases, including those challenging the closure of PDP offices at Legacy House and Wadata Plaza, expressing confidence in the party’s legal stance.
The committee has also begun reviewing handover notes from outgoing executives to ensure continuity and avoid administrative gaps.
“We are now prepared to be saddled with the responsibility of performing our functions as the leading opposition party in Nigeria,” he said.
PDP Challenges Tinubu on Domestic Democracy
Meanwhile, the PDP called on President Bola Tinubu to uphold the same democratic principles in Nigeria that he is said to have championed abroad.
In a statement signed by National Publicity Secretary Ini Ememobong, the party referenced reports that Tinubu granted asylum to Fernando Dia Da Costa, opposition presidential candidate in Guinea-Bissau.
“The decision was taken to shield Mr. Da Costa from imminent threats to his life, safeguard the democratic aspirations of the people of Guinea-Bissau, and reinforce Nigeria’s commitment to regional peace, stability, and conflict de-escalation in the sub-region,” the party noted.
Acknowledging the intervention as a positive step, PDP insisted that similar principles should guide Tinubu’s conduct domestically:
“The PDP urges President Tinubu to apply the same democratic principles at home. This includes checking and curtailing the activities of anti-democratic forces within his cabinet and political machinery, who openly orchestrate, fund, and engineer crises in major opposition parties,” the party said.
PDP further argued that while the President need not assist opposition parties, he has a constitutional duty to maintain a free and competitive political space.
“Currently, this space is being constricted through coercion of elected officials to defect to the ruling party and the sponsorship of crises in opposition parties,” the statement added.
“The philosophical underpinning that catalysed Nigeria’s intervention in Guinea-Bissau should also guide the President’s conduct domestically to safeguard Nigeria’s electoral democracy from decline and prevent the slide toward a one-party state,” it said.
“The President must act promptly in defence of democracy in Nigeria. He cannot present himself as a defender of democracy in the sub-region while enabling anti-democratic practices at home that undermine democratic institutions and processes,” PDP concluded.
