Former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential campaign spokesman, Umar Sani, has strongly defended the party’s decision to expel Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike and several other high-profile members, describing the disciplinary action as "better late than never."
Speaking on Arise News on Monday, Sani asserted that the expulsions were necessary after internal reconciliation efforts failed, and he maintained that the party's recent national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State, was legally compliant.
Sani disclosed that the PDP attempted to resolve the internal crisis through the Ambassador Hassan Adamu Committee. However, reconciliation proved impossible, partly because Wike allegedly imposed extreme conditions.
“We wanted to resolve this as a family, but it became clear there was no way to do so," Sani said. He revealed, "One of his conditions was that we agree not to field a presidential candidate in 2027. We cannot wait for a fight to finish; we have to end the fight."
Regarding the legality of the Ibadan convention, Sani emphasised that all statutory requirements, including the 21-day notice, were met and that a court order from the Oyo State High Court granted the party the legal authority to proceed.
He also clarified confusion over the presence of monitoring officials at the convention. Sani noted that while the master of ceremonies mistakenly introduced certain individuals as INEC officials, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State corrected the record, confirming they were only national election observers. Sani stressed that under the Electoral Act, the presence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is not mandatory to validate a party convention.
The motion for the expulsion of Wike and others—including suspended National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu and former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose—was moved by former PDP Deputy National Chairman (South), Bode George, and overwhelmingly endorsed by delegates at the convention. The convention also elected Kabiru Turaki as the new National Chairman and Taofik Arapaja as the new National Secretary.
