Wike, Fayose, 9 Others Get PDP Expulsion Certificates.

Wike, Fayose, Anyanwu.

The Peoples Democratic Party has formally issued expulsion certificates to 11 prominent politicians, including former governors Nyesom Wike and Ayodele Fayose, in what the party described as a decisive step to cleanse its ranks ahead of the 2027 elections.

The announcement was made during a briefing held after the National Working Committee meeting in Abuja.

Addressing journalists, the National Chairman, Kabiru Turaki, SAN, said the decision demonstrated the party’s determination to enforce discipline and end what he called persistent internal sabotage.

He explained that the briefing followed a review session by the new National Working Committee, which examined party operations, ongoing primaries, legal disputes, and handover documents from the previous leadership.

Turaki stated that expulsion certificates had already been dispatched via courier to the affected politicians, including Wike, Fayose, 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,” he said.

He added that the move was also intended to officially notify INEC, the police, DSS, NSCDC, and other relevant institutions that these individuals were no longer members of the party.

“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,” Turaki said.

Speaking on internal party matters, the chairman confirmed that the National Working Committee had reviewed and approved the congresses in Osun State conducted to select ad hoc delegates.

He further stressed that the Osun governorship primary was ongoing, adding that Senator Ademola Adeleke was still recognised as a member of the party and one of the aspirants.

“As I speak to you now, primaries are ongoing… Governor Adeleke’s name is one of the aspirants vying for the ticket,” he said.

Turaki noted that although a resignation letter allegedly from Adeleke had appeared online, the National Working Committee had not received any official communication from him.

The chairman emphasised that the strength of the party did not rest in individual officeholders but in the loyalty of its grassroots members.

“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 said.

He also responded to reports concerning former governors Okezie Ikpeazu and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who were recently nominated for ambassadorial roles, saying the party had not received any formal notification from them.

“If they come to us, we will certainly consider it on its merit… but for now, we have not received any communication,” he stated.

Turaki also gave a critical assessment of the nation’s security situation under the APC-led government, calling for a complete overhaul of the country’s 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 added that governors could not be regarded as chief security officers when they had no operational authority over security agencies.

The chairman confirmed that the National Working Committee had reviewed legal cases concerning the party, including those challenging the closure of its offices at Legacy House and Wadata Plaza, expressing confidence in the party’s legal stance.

Turaki said the new National Working Committee had begun thoroughly reviewing handover documents from the previous executives to ensure smooth continuity and avoid administrative lapses.

He expressed optimism in the party’s preparedness to serve as a credible alternative in the 2027 elections.

“We are now prepared to be saddled with the responsibility of performing our functions as the leading opposition party in Nigeria,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the party urged President Bola Tinubu to uphold the same democratic values within Nigeria that he reportedly championed in Guinea-Bissau.

The PDP argued that the President could not portray himself as a defender of democracy abroad while allegedly permitting internal political practices that weakened democratic structures at home.

In a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the PDP reacted to reports that President Tinubu granted asylum and protection to Mr Fernando Dia Da Costa, the opposition presidential candidate in the recently concluded Guinea-Bissau election.

Referring to information from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, and his Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Alkasim Abdulkadir, the PDP said the move was described as an effort to protect Mr Da Costa from threats to his life and reinforce Nigeria’s commitment to regional stability.

“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.

While acknowledging the intervention as positive for West Africa, the PDP insisted that President Tinubu must show the same dedication to democracy within Nigeria.

“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,” it said.

The party stated that although the President was not required to assist opposition parties, he had a constitutional duty to ensure a free and competitive political environment, devoid of coercive tactics.

It accused certain actors within the ruling party of allegedly coercing elected officials to defect and engineering crises within opposition parties.

“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 PDP argued that the same philosophical principles guiding Nigeria’s foreign interventions should inform the President’s domestic actions, warning that democracy in Nigeria could drift toward a one-party system if left unchecked.

“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 party urged the President to act promptly, insisting that credibility in promoting democracy abroad must begin with its protection at home.

“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,” the statement read.