After years of prevarication and hesitation, the hammer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has at last, descended on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, for anti-party activities.

The party, at its elective National Convention in Ibadan, Oyo State yesterday, invoked the relevant sections of its constitution to rein in some of its members, who it said, have been bringing the party to disrepute.

Apart from Wike, PDP said it has expelled the former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose; former National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu; former National Organising Secretary, Capt Umar Bature (retd.); former National Legal Adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade and his deputy Okechukwu Osuoha, and former National Vice Chairman (South-South), Chief Dan Orbih. Also expelled are Chairman of Imo State chapter, Austin Nwachukwu; his Abia State counterpart, Abah Abraham; South-South zonal Secretary, George Turna; Senator Mao Ohuabunwa and the National Vice Chairman (North Central), Alhaji Abdulrahman Mohammed.

Former PDP Deputy National Chairman, Chief Olabode George, who moved the motion for the expulsion of the members, accused the Imo and Abia State Chairmen, as well as the SouthSouth zonal Secretary, of attempt to scuttle the party’s National Convention, by going to court to stop it.

George, who described PDP as “political Iroko tree,” said the party should enforce its supremacy, extract loyalty from its members and ensure party discipline. Wike, who is former governor of Rivers State, has fallen out with the party since he lost the presidential ticket in 2022.

He openly campaigned against the party’s presidential candidate in 2023, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. The minister had earlier obtained a court order preventing the PDP from suspending him. The order was later vacated by the court, which told him that the party could suspend him if it follows due process.

The other expelled members, belong to his camp. At the moment, the PDP National Secretariat is locked, following the factionalisation by Anyanwu and others. The party had on November 1, suspended Anyanwu, Bature, Ajibade and Osuoha for anti-party activities, and referred them to the National Disciplinary Committee.

But in a counter move, Anyanwu announced the suspension of Ambassador Umar Damagum and other National Working Committee (NWC) members and announced Mohammed, National Vice Chairman (North Central), as acting National Chairman.

Despite conflicting court judgements stopping the National convention, PDP said it was going ahead with the convention. Two Federal High Courts in Abuja presided over by Justice James Omotosho and Peter Lifu, had stopped the convention and told the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to monitor it.

But another court in Ibadan, Oyo State, granted the party order to proceed. Secretary of the PDP National Convention Organising Committee (NCOC), Senator Ben Ndi Obi, in a motion at the convention ground, stated that since the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held on August 25, passed a resolution that the PDP should conduct elective National Convention in Ibadan on November 15 and 16, the party should go ahead with the convention.

The motion was seconded by former National Legal Adviser, Emmanuel Enoidem, SAN, and was adopted through a voice vote. The tenure of the party’s NWC is supposed to end on December 9 this year.

But Plateau State Governor, Caleb Muftwang, in another motion, called for the dissolution of the NWC, since the tenure of the body which was elected in 2021, was supposed to expire this year.

This was also adopted. Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, moved for the ratification of elected delegation from states where congresses were concluded, while executive committees in Imo, Abia, Rivers, Enugu and Akwa Ibom where the party was unable to hold congresses, were dissolved and caretaker committees to be appointed.

The motion was seconded by Daniel Okechukwu, National Auditor of the dissolved NWC. Chairman of the NCOC, Governor Umaru Fintiri, called on members who left the party to come back.