The Party on Fire
Nigeria’s main opposition party is convulsing again. With weeks to its national convention, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faces a full-scale schism.
Ex-governors Samuel Ortom (Benue) and Ayo Fayose (Ekiti) have aligned with the Nyesom Wike-led bloc of the National Working Committee, declaring the acting chairman, Umar Damagum, unfit to lead.
The Abuja Federal High Court’s injunction suspending the convention—on grounds of constitutional breach—sent tremors through the party, freezing all preparations.
Suspensions, Counter-Suspensions, and Political Mutiny
In a single weekend, both factions traded expulsions. Damagum’s camp suspended National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu and three others for “anti-party activities.”
Anyanwu’s bloc retaliated by suspending Damagum himself, Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba, and Deputy National Chairman (South) Taofeek Arapaja.
The Wike–Makinde alliance now battles for control of the convention venue in Ibadan, with loyalists exploring an appeal to vacate the injunction. Party elders warn that the PDP could implode before November 16.
Ortom, Fayose, and the Reform Call
Ortom blamed “arrogance and exclusion” for the party’s paralysis.
“Democracy thrives when diverse views unite for common good,” he said.
Fayose went further, calling the Damagum team “undertakers.”
“They came to bury the PDP. Abdulrahman Mohammed may yet revive it,” he told reporters in Ado-Ekiti.
The opposing bloc, led by Governor Seyi Makinde, insists the Wike camp’s actions breach due process and vows a comeback through the courts.
Political Volatility and Investor Caution
Analysts say the PDP’s crisis could weaken Nigeria’s multi-party system. Investors eyeing policy continuity and balance of power now see political instability risk rising, especially as 2027 approaches.
Public affairs strategist Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim called the court order “a judicial weaponisation of politics.”
“Both external pressures and internal sabotage are working to destroy multiparty democracy,” he warned.
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