By Ayomide Otitoju
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain Samuel Anyanwu has condemned the party’s recent national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State, describing the exercise as “a jamboree” and insisting it lacked legitimacy.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Channels Television just hours after his suspension, Anyanwu argued that the convention was fundamentally flawed, noting that “16 states had not even done their congresses; the entire South-East has not done their congress.” He added that even congresses previously conducted had not been formally communicated to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to him, the absence of several states rendered the convention, which ran from Saturday into early Sunday, far from inclusive. His suspension, along with that of several other senior figures, was unanimously approved during the gathering on allegations of anti-party activities and efforts to destabilise the party through litigation.
“When I heard somebody yesterday at the convention, when they were celebrating, having their jamboree, saying that we must obey the rules of the party, I laughed,” he said.
The convention saw the expulsion of Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike; former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose; Anyanwu; and others. It also dissolved party structures in Imo, Abia, Enugu, Akwa Ibom and Rivers states.
A motion for the expulsion of 11 key members was moved by PDP elder statesman Bode George and seconded by the Bauchi PDP chairman. Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed subsequently put the motion to a vote, which was unanimously adopted.
The event took place amid conflicting court orders—one permitting the party to proceed with the convention and another seeking to halt it—further fueling controversy over the exercise’s legality.
