The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has issued formal expulsion certificates to 11 high-profile members, including Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike and former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose. The certificates, dispatched via courier, serve as official proof of their ouster, allowing the recipients to seek membership in other parties without accusations of dual affiliation.The announcement came during a media briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, following a National Working Committee (NWC) meeting where Acting Chairman Umar Damagum handed over leadership to Senator Kabiru Marafa Turaki. Displaying the documents to journalists, Turaki emphasized the PDP’s commitment to rooting out “cankerworms” that have plagued its unity.
“They have been expelled. They remain expelled. We have now certified their expulsion, and these certificates have been sent to them,” Turaki declared.
The expelled individuals, previously ousted at the PDP’s controversial National Convention in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 16, 2025, for alleged anti-party activities, include:
Nyesom Wike, Minister of the FCT and former Rivers State Governor
Ayodele Fayose, former Ekiti State Governor
Senator Samuel Anyanwu, former National Secretary
Umaru Bature, former National Organizing Secretary
Kamarudeen Ajibade (SAN), former National Legal Adviser
Abdurahman Muhammad
Senator Mao Ohuabunwa
Austin Nwachukwu, Imo PDP Chairman
Abraham Amah Nnanna, Abia PDP Chairman
George Turna (also listed as Turnah George), PDP South-South Zonal Secretary
Chief Dan Orbih, factional Board of Trustees Chairman from Edo State
Turaki explained that the certificates not only notify security agencies like the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), police, and Department of State Services (DSS) of the expulsions but also facilitate the recipients’ transitions to new political homes. “When they go to register with other political parties in Nigeria, they will show these certificates as proof that they are no longer members of the PDP, and so those parties will not accuse them of trying to belong to more than one political party,” he stated.
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This development highlights the PDP’s ongoing internal purge, aimed at repositioning the party as a unified force offering “credible leadership” to Nigerians ahead of future polls.
Turaki reiterated that the party’s true strength lies not in individual heavyweights but in its grassroots base, describing the PDP as “the People’s Party.”
However, the expulsions have deepened existing fractures within the party. The Ibadan convention, which ratified the initial ejections, proceeded despite court injunctions prohibiting it until disputes over parallel state congresses were resolved.
A Wike-loyal faction, led by Anyanwu and factional Chairman Mohammed Abdulrahman, dismissed the gathering as illegitimate and convened a rival National Executive Committee meeting in Abuja on November 18. There, they counter-expelled prominent PDP figures, including Governors Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), and Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), as well as former Board of Trustees Chairman Adolphus Wabara and Turaki himself, on grounds of anti-party conduct and court order violations.
Adding to the discord, PDP Governors from Adamawa’s Ahmadu Fintiri and Plateau’s Caleb Mutfwang have publicly rejected the expulsions. Fintiri warned that the decision would “further polarise the party rather than uniting it,” arguing it was counterproductive during efforts to stabilize the PDP.
Mutfwang echoed similar sentiments, stressing the need for reconciliation over division. As of Wednesday, neither Wike nor Fayose has issued public responses to the certificates. Wike, a key architect of President Bola Tinubu’s 2023 victory despite his PDP affiliation, has been at the center of the party’s turmoil since falling out with Atiku Abubakar’s camp.
Fayose, known for his vocal criticisms of party leadership, has long been a maverick figure. Political analysts view this escalation as a high-stakes gamble for the PDP. While it may streamline decision-making and deter further defections, it risks alienating influential allies and prolonging legal battles. “The PDP is betting on discipline over inclusivity, but in Nigeria’s fluid political landscape, expelling stars like Wike could dim the party’s shine ahead of 2027,” observed one Abuja-based commentator.
As the dust settles, all eyes remain on how this chapter in the PDP’s saga will reshape Nigeria’s opposition dynamics. With certificates in hand, the expelled figures may soon chart new paths, but the scars on the party’s unity could linger far beyond the courier deliveries.
