Wike-Backed PDP Faction Expels Governors Makinde, Bala Mohammed, Turaki, Bode George, and Dissolves State Excos in Seven States

The internal crisis consuming the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) reached a dramatic and unprecedented escalation today, Tuesday, November 18, 2025, as a faction of the National Executive Committee (NEC) loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, announced the expulsion of three sitting governors and several key party leaders.

The expulsion was ratified at a factional NEC meeting held at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, effectively turning the party’s leadership into two parallel, warring camps.

The high-profile figures expelled include Governors Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), and Dauda Lawal (Zamfara). They were joined by veteran politician Chief Bode George, former BoT Chairman Senator Adolphus Wabara, and the recently elected National Chairman from the rival faction, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN).

A Retaliatory Purge and Dissolution of State Structures

This move is viewed as a calculated and forceful counter-punch to the Makinde-led faction, which, just last Saturday, had expelled Wike and his loyalists at a controversial convention in Ibadan.

Reading the communiqué from the meeting, factional National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu stated that the actions were necessary to preserve order and discipline within the party. He cited the disregard for subsisting court orders and conduct “bringing the Party into disrepute” as the primary reason for the expulsions.

Furthermore, the NEC ratified the dissolution of the State Executive Councils in seven key states Oyo, Bauchi, Zamfara, Yobe, Lagos, Edo, and Ekiti—directing the National Working Committee (NWC) to immediately constitute caretaker committees and begin the process of fresh congresses.

The day was marked by chaos at the Wadata Plaza secretariat in Abuja, where supporters of the rival factions clashed violently. Governors Makinde and Bala Mohammed, who attempted to access the premises, were reportedly met with resistance and tear gas deployed by security operatives, underscoring the severity of the leadership battle engulfing the PDP ahead of the 2027 general elections.