The Peoples Democratic Party State Working Committee in Abia State on Tuesday expelled the embattled PDP Board of Trustees Chairman, former Senate President Adolphus Wabara.

The chapter, in a statement jointly signed by Chairman Abraham Amah and Secretary Peter Nwaokonko, stated that the decision was made during an emergency meeting held after receiving the Disciplinary Committee’s report.

This comes as former Benue governor, Samuel Ortom, embattled PDP factional National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu and others again refused to appear before the Ikimi Disciplinary Panel.

According to the Abia State PDP chairman, the investigative committee thoroughly reviewed Wabara’s earlier suspension before deciding to expel him.

He explained that the expulsion was due to Wabara’s endorsement of Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, for a second term in office, which the PDP considered an act of disloyalty to the party.

As of the time of this report, Wabara had yet to issue any statement regarding his expulsion.

This is happening a few weeks after Wabara was suspended by the SWC for alleged anti-party activities

However, the National Working Committee nullified his suspension.

Despite Wabara challenging the suspension in court, the Abia chapter insisted on his expulsion from the party.

Following Wabara’s expulsion, the party asked the PDP leadership to replace him.

A statement issued by the Abia PDP read in part, “Senator Adolphus Wabara is hereby expelled from the Peoples Democratic Party. The Abia State PDP reaffirmed its commitment to upholding party discipline and ensuring that all members operate within the framework of the PDP Constitution (2017 as amended).

‘’The party remains resolute in preserving unity, loyalty, and respect for party structures. No member, regardless of status, is above the party’s rules and regulations.’’

The party asked the National Working Committee and the National Executive Committee to act swiftly by appointing an acting chairman for the PDP BoT ‘’in the interest of the party’s stability and in compliance with our party’s constitution.”

“In line with Article 57(3) and 59(1) of the PDP Constitution (2017 as amended), which stipulates that an expelled member cannot exercise any rights or privileges within the party, the Abia State Executive Committee hereby recommends the immediate appointment of an Acting BoT Chairman by the National Working Committee and the National Executive Committee of our great party,’’ it declared.

Meanwhile, the crisis within the PDP has further escalated with former Benue State governor, Ortom, Senator Anyanwu, and others failing to attend the National Disciplinary Committee led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tom Ikimi.

The committee held its session in Abuja on Tuesday.

Ortom was represented by his legal adviser, Clement Mue, while Anyanwu, in an interview with The PUNCH, disclosed that he had informed the NDC that the matter is currently before the Supreme Court, and addressing the issues related to his invitation would amount to prejudice.

On February 6, the NDC, led by Ikimi, issued a statement summoning Ortom, Anyanwu, and 10 other individuals to appear before the committee on February 12, 2025, at the Legacy House in Maitama, Abuja.

The proceedings of the NDC have been kept confidential, and the identities of the other 10 invitees remain undisclosed.

Since the 2023 presidential election, the PDP has been embroiled in internal conflicts, with members accusing others of undermining the party’s interests and calling for disciplinary measures.

In response, the PDP National Working Committee established a disciplinary committee on August 21 to allow members to file complaints, hear both sides, and make recommendations to the National Executive Committee.

However, nearly five months after its creation, the crisis has worsened, with both former National Youth Leader Sunday Ude-Okoye and Anyanwu claiming the position of National Secretary.

Despite Ude-Okoye receiving backing from the Board of Trustees, led by former Senate President Adolphus Wabara, and the Governors Forum, chaired by Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, the dispute remains unresolved.

Ortom, who raised legal concerns about the authenticity of the petitioners, Anyanwu, who cited medical reasons and the other 10 individuals did not attend the NDC meeting on February 12.

Despite receiving invitations from Ikimi’s committee, both Ortom and Anyanwu, along with the others, also failed to show up on Tuesday at the committee’s meeting at the Legacy House in Maitama.

The meeting, which was exclusively covered by The PUNCH, began at approximately 12:30 pm. In attendance were the Chairman of the NDC, the Secretary, Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), and former Minister of Women Affairs, Zainab Maina.

The leaders of the group behind the petition against Anyanwu, the PDP Young Generation Caucus, who were called into the closed-door session, called for the embattled Secretary’s resignation.

In an interview with The PUNCH, the group’s legal director, Alex Ter Adum, and President, Afolabi Adekanbi disclosed that they filed a petition against Anyanwu due to allegations that he had threatened the party with violence.

Adum stated that Anyanwu should have fully utilized the PDP’s internal conflict resolution processes before resorting to the court.

He noted, “Today, we appear before the National Disciplinary Committee of the party. Our petition is specifically against the former National Secretary of the PDP, Senator Samuel Anyanwu.

“Our petition is that Senator Samuel Anyanwu’s actions, immediately after the resolution of the PDP Governor’s Forum meeting of January 31, 2025, in Asaba, Delta State, where he, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, wrote letters to external bodies, including the police, the DSS, and other threatening to bring violence to the PDP Governor’s Forum, the BOT, the National Executive Committee members of the party, and the National Working Committee and to take over the PDP Secretariat.

“This is a clear violation of Article 58, Sub-Article H of the PDP Constitution, which states that no member of the party shall do anything likely to bring the party into disrepute.

“Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who was then the National Secretary of the party and an officer of the NWC and NEC of the party, ought to have exhausted all internal channels of dispute resolution if he was aggrieved by the decision of the PDP Governor’s Forum and the PDP Board of Trustees.

“He had no right, as the chief protector of the constitution of the party, to act in flagrant violation of a very substantive provision of the constitution. His actions have brought the party into disrepute and continue to do so, contesting every decision made by all the relevant organs of the party and its leaders up to this moment.”

He expressed hope that the NDC would recommend Anyanwu’s suspension if he was unable to defend the allegations.

Adum added, “We feel that he should come and face the National Disciplinary Committee to defend himself against these allegations.

“But if he is unable to, and the committee finds merit in our petition, which we adopted this afternoon, then Senator Anyanwu should be suspended from the party, expelled from the party, and denied all privileges that come with his membership.

“We are praying and hoping that the National Disciplinary Committee will do what is right and recommend this to the National Executive Committee of the party so that we can restore peace to our party.”

The president of the group explained that they believed the current problems within the party were orchestrated by some individuals, including Anyanwu.

Adekanbi argued, “He claimed to be in defiance of the appeal court judgments. So, he is going to the Supreme Court on that because the Appeal Court has declared Ude-Okoye as the National Secretary.

“There are some activities that went wrong with him. He has written to the DSS, police, and others, trying to cause disturbances within the party.

“So, just take it clearly that nobody is above the party; if there are issues in the party, they have to remain within the party. That’s why we have a committee that can take care of those issues. But for someone to believe they are above the party, writing to the DSS, writing to the police, and whatever, that means the party is no longer supreme.

‘’We know we have a lot of petitions, whatever case in courts, and they want disaster with the National Secretariat. That’s why the NWC, the governors, and others have to rely on that judgment. Who are you not to rely on that?

“So, we want the NDC to make a judgment because once you violate that section of our constitution, you have to be suspended. That’s it. So, we ask the panel to suspend him from the party.”

In his defence, Anyanwu stated that he had notified the committee of his intention to appear before it but emphasized that the matter is currently before the Supreme Court.

The factional national secretary, in an interview with The PUNCH, declared that since the issue is under Supreme Court review, no one can make a decision on it, and discussing is sub judice.

“I did not attend (the NDC session) because of the pending litigation. I wrote a letter to the committee informing them that the matter surrounding my office is before the Supreme Court.

“So, it would amount to sub judice for me to go before them and for them to start talking about a matter before the Supreme Court. As it is now, nobody can do anything until the court decides,” he submitted.

On his part, Ortom’s lawyer asserted that the NDC has yet to apologise to the former Benue governor for publicly announcing its petition in the media without formally inviting him.

Mue further revealed that they were shown the acknowledged copy of the petition they had sent earlier, adding that the absence of the petitioners had rendered their petition meaningless.

The counsel stated, “I came here regarding the petition written against the former governor of Benue State, His Excellency Samuel Ortom, and 10 other members of the PDP in Benue State.

“ PDP is our party. Though they didn’t write an apology as Ortom requested, but eventually, they showed us a copy of the first petition and the letter they wrote. That’s why we’re here. And when we came, regrettably, those who wrote the petition are not here to defend it.

“So, it’s like that petition is non-existent, and it’s dead on arrival because nobody came forward to admit they are the author of the petition. I think it’s just a matter of name-dropping in the nature of politics we have found ourselves in.

“I have advised them to be guided by the provisions of the PDP Constitution and other extant laws governing this type of proceedings.”

When reached for comment, Ortom’s media aide, Nathaniel Ikyur, explained that the former governor did not attend the session because the procedures being followed by the NDC were legally flawed.

He said the ex-governor had also faulted the composition of the committee.

“The former governor cannot just jump into a process. So, it’s a legal matter, and we’re there to ask questions and ensure that the NDC is operating within the legal framework.

“He was not there because he travelled, and also because the composition of the NDC did not align with the PDP 2017 Constitution, as amended.”

A member of the committee informed The PUNCH that the Ikimi panel requested additional evidence from the anti-Anyanwu petitioners.

Speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid victimization, the insider further revealed that some NDC members believed that the continued absence of those who complained against Ortom made their petition invalid.

‘’While questioning those who petitioned Anyanwu, the NDC observed that the evidence wasn’t convincing enough and demanded that the petitioners provide more.

“As for Ortom and the 10 others, the petitioners failed to show up for the second time. The committee members are concerned that if this continues, their petition may be dismissed. Therefore, the committee has adjourned again, I believe, till April 4 to deliberate further.”

The chairman of the committee refused to comment when approached by our correspondent.

Credit: PUNCH

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on Tuesday met with former interim National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Bisi Akande, at his Ibadan residence to discuss the ongoing dispute over control of local government areas in the state.

Adeleke was accompanied by the Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaiye, Chief of Staff, Kazeem Akinleye, Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun; Commissioner for Commerce, Bunmi Jenyo; and the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi.

The Osun PDP and the APC are in a stand-off over the control of local government area in the state.

The crisis had turned violent, with at least six people killed.

On Tuesday, following an initial meeting with his aides present, Adeleke and Akande proceeded to a private discussion that reportedly lasted for about two hours.

Pictures from the visit went viral on social media, eliciting varied reactions, with many commenters interpreting the meeting as a move towards finding a political resolution to the local government dispute between the state government and the APC.

Providing insight into the discussion, Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, stated that the purpose of Adeleke’s visit was to brief Akande on the crisis and the legal complexities surrounding it.

“The governor deemed it necessary to inform Baba Akande about the developments in the state, particularly regarding the judicial rulings and their interpretations. He emphasised that, as a peace-loving leader, he expects the APC to seek legal redress rather than resort to self-help, which could lead to violence and loss of innocent lives in the state,” Alimi said.

He further noted that Akande welcomed the governor warmly and agreed that violence should not be an option in resolving the dispute.

Similarly, the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, confirmed that Adeleke reiterated his administration’s commitment to the rule of law and urged all stakeholders to avoid actions that could escalate tensions.

However, the APC, through a statement signed by its spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, condemned the governor’s visit, alleging that Adeleke sought Akande’s intervention for a “soft landing” regarding the reinstatement of local government chairmen and councillors.

“It is shocking that Governor Adeleke could visit Chief Akande after PDP-backed thugs, acting under his administration’s body language, killed one of our reinstated local government chairmen, Hon. Remi Abass, in Ikire, along with other APC members in different parts of the state,” the statement read.

The APC insisted that Akande, as a seasoned democrat, would not compromise the interests of his party.

The party advised Adeleke to pursue any grievances through legal channels rather than political negotiations, emphasising that the Supreme Court was the appropriate venue for redress following the Akure Court of Appeal ruling of February 10, 2025.

“We want to impress it on Governor Adeleke and his co-travellers that Pa Akande is a democrat and no amount of under-the-table arrangement would make the former governor of the state to work against the interest of his party. Does Governor Adeleke want Pa Akande to be praising him for being instrumental to the killing of the chieftain and members of his party?

“We want to believe that there are knowledgeable political lieutenants of Governor Adeleke who should guide him aright that the proper place for him to go if at all he has any case for redress after the Akure verdict of 10th of February, 2025, is the Supreme Court.”

The APC advised Adeleke to partner with the reinstated council chairmen and councillors to ensure dividend of democracy cut across the length and breadth of the state.

But reacting to the APC, Osun PDP lauded Adeleke for initiating statewide consultations, describing his visit to Akande as a demonstration of leadership and statesmanship.

In a statement signed by its chairman, Sunday Bisi, the PDP dismissed the APC’s criticisms, arguing that the opposition party was displeased because its efforts to destabilize Osun had failed.

“Governor Adeleke lost six of his party members to violence instigated by APC thugs. Yet, he has chosen to prioritise peace and consultation rather than revenge. This is a testament to his political maturity and sense of responsibility,” Bisi said.

He criticised the APC for allegedly encouraging lawlessness by supporting what he described as the “illegal occupation” of local government offices by reinstated officials.

He reaffirmed the PDP’s commitment to using legal means to restore duly elected officials and maintain stability in the state.

“The people of Osun State stand firmly with Governor Adeleke. Unlike the APC, which thrives on chaos, we believe in democracy, the rule of law, and peaceful governance,” Bisi added.

As tensions persist over the control of local government councils in Osun, all eyes remain on the state government, the APC, and the judiciary for the next steps in resolving the impasse.

The Labour Party (LP) has cautioned the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) against interfering in its affairs, insisting that the union has no authority to dictate the party’s direction or leadership.

The opposition party also dismissed the possibility of a merger with any political platform ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The LP’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, made this known in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday.

“While the party is not considering a merger, it remains open to collaborations aimed at strengthening its position ahead of future elections,” Ifoh stated.

The statement was in response to the NLC’s call for a rebranding of the Labour Party, which included the possibility of a merger or coalition with like-minded parties.

Following its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Yola, Adamawa State, the NLC, in a communique signed by its President, Joe Ajaero, insisted that urgent steps must be taken to reclaim the party and restore its ideological foundation.

The NLC directed its National Administrative Council to initiate processes for a restructuring, coalition, or merger that would strengthen the interests of workers within the LP.

The Labour Party and the NLC remain at odds over the union’s refusal to recognize Julius Abure as the party’s National Chairman, despite his re-election at the LP convention in Anambra

The lingering dispute underscores ongoing power struggles within the party as it seeks to position itself ahead of the next election cycle.