The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has elected Kabiru Turaki (SAN), the former minister of special duties and intergovernmental affairs, as its new national chairman at its ongoing national convention.

Turaki’s emergence at the convention, which was being held in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, where delegates from 17 states in the country cast their votes to elect national officers.

The new PDP national chairman was a minister under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

At the ongoing convention, the party had earlier announced the expulsion of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike. The PDP suspended Wike, along with the former governor of Ekiti, Ayodele Fayose, and the former national secretary of the party, Samuel Anyanwu.

The motion for the expulsion of the party leaders was moved by Olabode George, the former national vice chairman of the PDP. His motion was supported by Samaila Burga, the PDP chairman in Bauchi state.

Others who were expelled included the PDP’s national legal adviser, Adeyemi Ajibade (SAN), AbdulRahman Mohammed, George Turner, Dan Orbih, Umar Bature, Austin Nwachukwu, Mao Chuambuwa, and Abraham Ammah.

However, the expulsion of Wike and others has been rejected by the PDP have been rejected by Governor Ahmadu Fintiri and Caleb Mutfwang of Adamawa and Plateau states.

Governor Mutfwang, in a statement, distanced himself from the motion seeking the expulsion of the PDP leaders. Mutfwang, through his director of press and public affairs, Gyang Bere, said that the development did not reflect his position.

According to Vanguard, the governor explained that the motion was never discussed at the PDP governor’s forum, nor was it tabled at the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting. He stressed that such a move would be counter-productive as the PDP was trying to be stabilized and that the expulsion could further polarize the party rather than uniting it.

Also, Adamawa Governor Fintiri distanced himself from the expulsion of Wike, adding that he strongly believes that the decision was not in the best interest of the PDP and that such a decision would further polarize the party.

Governor Fintiri reiterated that he remains a faithful PDP member and that he would not be part of anything that would further polarize the party. He added that “I believe that peace and reconciliation are the only ways forward for our great party.”

The Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dismissed the party’s national convention held in Ibadan on Saturday, describing the exercise as illegal and its outcomes a nullity.

In a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Kenneth Yowika, the party commended the Independent National Electoral Commission for staying away from the gathering, noting that the commission’s refusal to attend aligned with the rule of law.

Yowika said, “INEC’s absence shows adherence to democratic principles and respect for subsisting court orders.”

The Rivers PDP insisted that the convention was conducted in brazen violation of two Federal High Court orders that barred the exercise, despite a contrary ruling from an Ibadan High Court allowing it to proceed.

The party frowned at what it called the “flagrant disregard for judicial authority,” noting that the organisers went ahead to elect new national officers and dissolve some state executives.

According to Yowika, “The convention is a sham. You cannot ignore valid Federal High Court judgments and expect the outcome to stand.”

Expressing optimism that the courts would eventually invalidate the event, the Rivers PDP urged members to remain calm and rely on the judicial process already in motion.

The statement read, “The ill-advised convention cannot withstand legal scrutiny as it is already sub judice at the Court of Appeal. We rest our faith solely on the judiciary and urge all members to do the same.”

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is facing an intensifying wave of defections as three of its sitting governors—Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, and Kefas Agbu of Taraba State—are reportedly preparing to exit the party before the end of the year.

Tensions within the PDP rose sharply over the weekend when the trio noticeably shunned the party’s controversial national convention held in Ibadan on Saturday. Their absence, which party insiders said was too significant to be dismissed as coincidence, has fueled speculations of imminent realignments ahead of the 2027 political cycle.

The strongest confirmation yet came from the National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ajibola Basiru, who disclosed that Taraba State Governor Kefas Agbu would officially join the ruling party on Wednesday, November 19. His move is expected to strengthen the APC’s growing presence in the North-East and further weaken the PDP’s grip in the region.

Governors Adeleke and Fubara are also reportedly in advanced stages of negotiations to exit the PDP. Sources suggest Adeleke could be headed for the African Democratic Congress (ADC), while Fubara’s move remains tightly guarded but widely speculated to be toward the APC, where his political rivals already enjoy strong backing.

Deputy National Youth Leader of the PDP, Timothy Osadolor, while reacting to the governors’ absence in Ibadan, admitted the situation signals possible defections.

According to him, “We should not blame Governor Adeleke and others who are not in Ibadan if they are on their way out of the party. Adeleke’s colleagues in Ibadan are hell-bent on frustrating his second-term bid, trying to destroy the party on whose platform they were all elected.”

Osadolor went further to dismiss the legitimacy of the Ibadan convention, insisting it carried no legal weight. He argued that the absence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the venue invalidated any resolutions made there.

“In the eyes of the law, it is a complete nullity,” he stated. “There is no INEC presence at the venue of the so-called convention. So, when they finish this their Christmas party, will they write a list and send to INEC that the court told them not to monitor the process?”

His remarks highlight the deepening crisis within the PDP, where factions have continued to jostle for control, often in open defiance of court orders and internal reconciliation efforts.

The potential loss of three sitting governors within months could mark one of the most devastating blows to the PDP in its recent history.