The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has issued certificates of expulsion to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and 10 other members of his faction, who were suspended by the National Convention in November. Others issued expulsion certificates include former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, former National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, National Organising Secretary Umar Bature, National Legal Adviser Kamarudeen Ajibade, factional BoT Chairperson Mao Ohuabunwa, factional National Chairperson Abdulrahman Mohammed, National Vice Chairpersons Dan Orbih and George Turnah, and the PDP Chairpersons of Imo and Abia States, Austin Nwachukwu and Abraham Amah, respectively.
The National Chairperson of the PDP, Kabiru Turaki, announced the development on Tuesday while briefing journalists after a National Working Committee (NWC) meeting at the party’s secretariat in Abuja. Turaki said the NWC reviewed and affirmed the expulsions earlier approved by the National Convention, PDP’s highest decision-making body, and subsequently dispatched the certificates to all affected members.He added that the certificates were meant to remove ambiguity about the members’ exit from the party and to prevent issues of dual party membership under Nigerian law.
“We have considered the issue of members expelled by the national convention in Ibadan. Nigerian law frowns on dual membership of political parties, so we have sought to make it easy for them. Now that they are no longer members of our party, these certificates will serve as proof for other parties that they are free to register elsewhere,” Turaki said.
The motion to expel Wike and the others was moved by former National Deputy Chairperson of the PDP (South), Bode George, during the party’s convention in Ibadan. George accused Wike of bringing the party into disrepute and alleged that he had recruited other expelled members to undermine the PDP. The motion was approved by a majority of delegates through voice votes.
However, the expulsions have faced resistance from two PDP governors. Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State argued that Wike’s expulsion was not in the best interest of the party and distanced himself from the decision. Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang said the expulsion was neither discussed at the PDP Governors’ Forum nor at the National Executive Committee meeting before being presented at the national convention.
Source: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/
