By Modupe Bankole
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday signalled the beginning of what insiders describe as the party’s most assertive internal reset in years, as delegates at the Ibadan National Convention considered a decisive motion seeking the expulsion of 11 prominent party figures for alleged anti-party activities.
The motion read by a member of PDP Board of Trustee and also one of the Founding fathers of PDP, Chief Bode George, tabled as the Fifth Motion of the Convention invoked far-reaching disciplinary provisions of the PDP Constitution, citing Articles 10(6), 58(1)(b, c, f, j, l) and 59(1)(g), and targeted high-profile individuals including former governors, serving and former lawmakers, and senior party administrators. Among those listed were former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, former Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose, and former National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu.
What made Saturday’s development significant was not only the calibre of those affected but the context: the party’s Constitution places the National Convention as the supreme organ empowered to take disciplinary decisions binding on all members. The sponsors of the motion argued that the named individuals had breached the party’s core principles by openly supporting opposition platforms in past election cycles.
While the convention grounds buzzed with political excitement, the introduction of the expulsion motion underscored what observers say is the PDP’s determination to draw a clear line between loyalty and sabotage as it prepares for a national comeback.
Governor Seyi Makinde, host of the 2025 Ibadan Convention, captured this mood when he declared that the gathering was not merely ceremonial but a turning point for rebuilding trust, cohesion, and party discipline. “We fought a long stretch of battle to reach this point,” he said, “and this convention will mark the turnaround of the PDP nationally.”
Supporting the renewed disciplinary posture, Chairman of the Convention Organising Committee and Adamawa State Governor, Umaru Fintiri, told delegates that fractured loyalty and disjointed focus had cost the PDP dearly in recent years. He called on the party to reinvent itself starting with strengthening its moral and constitutional backbone.
Key organs of the party, including the PDP Governors’ Forum, the Board of Trustees, and the National Assembly Caucuses, offered goodwill messages affirming the need for unity but also acknowledging the necessity of confronting internal saboteurs. Senate Caucus representative, Senator Abdul Ningi, put it plainly: “The PDP is not dead, and it cannot die. But no organisation will survive if those weakening it from within are not checked.”
By the time the convention moved to elect new national officers, it had become clear that the Ibadan gathering was not just about new leadership, it’s about redefining the boundaries of membership, discipline, and loyalty ahead of 2027.
