A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has rejected the expulsion of several senior party figures announced at Saturday’s convention in Ibadan.

Four state chapters have also dismissed the convention’s outcome, a development analysts interpret as a pushback against Governor Seyi Makinde’s attempt to consolidate control of the party.

More than 3,000 delegates met in Ibadan on Saturday to elect new leaders for the opposition party despite opposing court directives.

A Federal High Court in Abuja had on Friday ordered the PDP to halt its national convention and restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission from monitoring it.

Delivering judgment in a suit filed by former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, Justice Peter Lifu ruled that Lamido was unfairly denied the chance to obtain nomination forms to contest for the position of National Chairman, a breach of the PDP Constitution and its internal procedures.

Justice Lifu held that the party must create opportunities for its members to pursue their political ambitions and ordered that the convention be suspended until Lamido is allowed to obtain forms, mobilise supporters and campaign.

“An order is hereby made that before any convention is held, the PDP is to make nomination forms available to the plaintiff.
“In the light of the above, it is hereby held that the convention be put on hold for the plaintiff to obtain a nomination form, campaign and mobilise supporters,” the judge ruled.

Justice Lifu had issued a similar order on November 11, 2025, stopping the convention meant to elect new national officers.

Lamido, through his counsel, Jephthah Njikonye, SAN, sought an interim injunction to prevent the convention until the substantive suit is determined.

He argued that proceeding with the convention without allowing him to contest would amount to violating the party’s constitution.

Justice Lifu agreed, ruling that there was no basis to depart from an earlier judgment by Justice James Omotosho on October 31, 2025, which also halted the convention and barred INEC from participating.

But in a contradictory ruling, the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan authorised the PDP to proceed with the convention.

Justice Ladiran Akintola granted an ex parte request by party member Folahan Adelabi and directed INEC to attend and monitor the election of new national officers.

The opposing rulings split the PDP into two major blocs: one loyal to Wike and the other aligned with PDP governors and the party’s national structures.

At the Ibadan convention, following a motion by former Board of Trustees Chairman, Chief Bode George, the party expelled Nyesom Wike, former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, ex–National Vice Chairman (South-South), Dan Orbih, and several others.

One of those expelled, Abdulrahman Mohammed, dismissed the development as laughable and declared he would continue serving as Acting National Chairman.

Mohammed had been named Acting Chairman by the Wike-aligned faction after the suspension of the former National Chairman, Umar Damagum, and members of the National Working Committee.

Speaking to The PUNCH, Mohammed insisted no valid convention took place in Ibadan.

“What happened in Ibadan was not a convention. It was held in violation of a valid court order. Nigerians should not lose sleep because the PDP remains on course to offer them good governance,” he said, adding that the expulsion was invalid.

Asked whether he would challenge it in court, he responded, “What is there to challenge? What happened was illegal.”

Umar Bature, who recently served as the National Organising Secretary, also rejected the event, calling it illegal and insisting he remains in office until December 8, 2025, when the Damagum-led NWC’s tenure expires.

Bature argued that nothing done at the Ibadan gathering holds legal weight.

A member of the Wike-led faction and Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, maintained that the expulsions were void because the convention “Violated a court order.”

Osadolor said the governors who attended merely “entertained themselves,” insisting that only 17 state chapters were accredited — too few to produce a valid convention.

He urged Governor Makinde to apologise to party leaders nationwide and join efforts to revive the PDP ahead of the 2027 elections.

In the Southwest, the PDP zonal leadership praised Governor Makinde, saying he had “rescued the party from aggressors” and restored public confidence.

Zonal Publicity Secretary, Sanya Atofarati, commended PDP governors for supporting the process and welcomed the newly elected national officers.

He described Makinde as “the biblical Moses of the PDP” whose efforts had stabilised the party.

A former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Turaki, was elected National Chairman alongside other officers, with governors from Bauchi, Oyo, Adamawa, Zamfara, and Plateau in attendance.

Ahead of the convention, the party had zoned its 2027 presidential ticket to the South and the national chairmanship to the North.

North-West leaders had endorsed Turaki as a consensus candidate after a series of meetings in October.

The Rivers State PDP commended INEC for rejecting the Ibadan convention, declaring that its outcome cannot stand because it violated two court rulings.

Publicity Secretary Kenneth Yowika said the convention amounted to a charade and praised INEC for upholding the law.

The statement accused the organisers of ignoring Justice Omotosho’s judgment, which barred INEC from monitoring the convention over improper signing of the notice of convention.

Yowika also commended INEC for acknowledging Justice Peter Lifu’s order, which halted the event due to Lamido’s inability to obtain nomination forms.

Similarly, the Akwa Ibom PDP dissociated itself from the convention, calling it unlawful and hailing INEC for staying away.

Publicity Secretary Edwin Ebiese said the disregard for court judgments proved the Ibadan event lacked legal validity.

He warned that some party members had abandoned democratic values and vowed to work with “true democrats” to reclaim the party.

The Jigawa State PDP also denied sending delegates to the convention.

State Chairman Babandi Gumel, in a statement on Facebook, said those claiming to represent Jigawa were impostors and reaffirmed support for Lamido’s legal challenge.

He urged members to ignore fraudulent claims and prioritise dialogue to resolve the crisis.

A founding member of the PDP and former presidential candidate, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, warned that the crisis threatens Nigeria’s democracy if not quickly resolved.

He said the PDP was founded on inclusion, unity, and consensus-building, but current practices — “fragmentation, court-induced confusion, and exclusionary politics” — contradict those ideals.

He urged party leaders to pursue reconciliation and expansion rather than expulsions.

On claims that only 17 states participated, Chief Bode George told The PUNCH that all states and the FCT were represented.

He urged Wike to join the APC and support President Bola Tinubu, saying the PDP had “helped him by expelling him.”

Responding to claims that INEC did not monitor the convention, he insisted the gathering was legitimate and called on INEC to focus on conducting credible elections.

The APC mocked the PDP over the expulsions and internal turmoil, describing the situation as evidence of persistent leadership shortcomings.

Deputy National Organising Secretary Nze Chidi Duru said the APC would not intervene in PDP’s internal problems but could offer “a crash programme” on party management.

He noted that the PDP is so divided that it is unclear who speaks for the party.

Arodiogbu, another APC official, dismissed suggestions that the expelled PDP leaders might join the ruling party, adding that the APC had received no such indications.

Duru maintained that while the APC prefers a viable opposition, the PDP must resolve its own crisis.

The United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa has scheduled an open hearing for Thursday, November 20, 2025, to review President Donald Trump’s recent redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern.

The CPC label, if approved by the Senate, would permit the United States to impose sanctions on Nigerian officials implicated in religious persecution and restrict certain bilateral assistance.

It also serves as an indication to the global community that the issue of religious freedom in Nigeria is considered a serious matter by Washington.

The hearing will hold at 11:00 a.m. in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building, streamed live online, and chaired by Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey.

Two panels of witnesses are expected, with appearances from top US State Department officials and Nigerian religious leaders.

An invitation sent to members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs stated, “You are respectfully requested to attend an open hearing of the Committee on Foreign Affairs to be held by the Subcommittee on Africa at 11:00 a.m. in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building.”

According to the document, the first panel will include Senior Bureau Official for the Bureau of African Affairs, Jonathan Pratt, and Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Jacob McGee.

The second panel is expected to feature the Director of the Centre for Religious Freedom, Ms Nina Shea; Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of the Makurdi Catholic Diocese; and Ms Oge Onubogu from the Centre for Strategic & International Studies.

The hearing will assess the extent of religious persecution in Nigeria and consider possible policy measures such as sanctions, aid interventions, and cooperative efforts with the Nigerian government to reduce violence.

On October 31, 2025, President Trump named Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” due to alleged violations of religious freedom, a move that reignited debate on Christian-targeted attacks and the possibility of US action.

In justifying the designation, Trump accused Nigerian authorities of allowing widespread persecution of Christians, claiming that thousands had been killed by radical Islamist elements.

He warned that the United States could impose sanctions or even take military action if Nigeria failed to address the situation.

Trump further threatened to stop all forms of American support to Nigeria if the alleged killings continued.

“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now-disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.
“I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians,” he said on November 1, 2025.

President Bola Tinubu responded by rejecting the claim, describing it as a distortion of Nigeria’s true religious landscape.

Using his official X account, Tinubu said the statements did not align with Nigeria’s constitutional commitment to religious freedom.

“‘Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty. The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality.
“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so. Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it,’” he said.

The renewed CPC designation follows recurring attacks on Christian communities involving extremist groups, kidnappings, and the burning of worship centres.

The matter is also before the US Senate, with Senator Ted Cruz serving as sponsor.

Nigeria had previously been designated a CPC by Trump in 2020 until President Joe Biden removed the country from the list upon assuming office.

Bishop Wilfred Anagbe, who is scheduled to testify before the House Committee, recently raised concerns about Christian-targeted violence within Nigeria.

During an address at the UK Parliament on March 25, 2025, he criticised mass killings by Islamist extremists and militant Fulani herdsmen.

As a guest of the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, he informed lawmakers that members of his diocese had lost their homes to arson and were displaced into camps.

He stated that communities in Benue State had experienced systematic attacks from extremists and herders, including the destruction of farmland, churches, and the killing of clergy and laypersons.

“The militant Fulani herdsmen bear down on defenseless villagers without consequence.
“They follow orders to conquer, kill, and occupy. They attack even those who have managed to escape into our IDP camps,” he told the UK Parliament.

Representative Riley Moore of West Virginia, speaking to Fox News on Sunday, said investigations into Nigeria’s killings were already underway within several congressional committees.

He stated, “We’ve already started that investigation… we’re working with the State Department and (others) in the White House… We’re going to get to the bottom of this.”

Moore said the situation in Nigeria was “horrific,” describing the killings as targeting Christians.

Responding to Tinubu’s position that Trump’s claims did not reflect Nigeria’s reality, Moore disagreed, saying, “Unfortunately, that is completely false. I mean, there are states in Nigeria that have blasphemy laws, people who are facing the death penalty right now for blasphemy against Islam.”

He added that a man who defended himself from an attack by a Fulani militant was now facing the death penalty, which he cited as evidence of persecution.

Moore said deaths among religious groups were “five to one, five to one Christians versus other minority, other religious affiliations in that country,” insisting that Christians were overwhelmingly the victims.

He argued that the US had a responsibility to intervene, describing the country as one that protects the persecuted.

He also explained that the CPC designation allows the American government to use sanctions, withhold development funds, restrict international financing, and consider other measures, including potential military action.

Pope Leo XIV also raised concerns about violence directed at Christians worldwide, including in Nigeria.

His statement on X came days after Trump’s warning of possible US military intervention over alleged Christian genocide.

The Pope said, “‘In various parts of the world, Christians suffer discrimination and persecution. I think especially of Bangladesh, Nigeria, Mozambique, Sudan, and other countries from which we frequently hear of attacks on communities and places of worship.’”

He also prayed for victims in the Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, calling for an end to violence.

US Congressman Bill Huizenga, in an interview with Arise TV last week, said Trump was unlikely to authorise military action in Nigeria despite the strong rhetoric.

He said Trump’s comments were likely aimed at drawing attention to the situation rather than signalling an imminent strike.

Huizenga added that Trump generally preferred diplomatic approaches, saying he “would be very selective” before considering military involvement.

He argued that economic sanctions were more effective in weakening extremist financing networks.

He urged Nigerian authorities to intensify efforts to address insecurity across the country.

In a separate development, President Tinubu sent his Senior Special Assistant on Community Engagement, Dr Abiodun Essiet, to Plateau State to promote peace.

Essiet met Christian leaders, Fulani representatives, and community groups, including a courtesy visit to Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo of the Regional Church Council in Barkin Ladi.

According to a statement from the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Essiet also held private meetings with the Irigwe community, the Miyetti Allah association, and youth representatives from Bassa Local Government Area.

Essiet said the President remained committed to inclusive governance and that local peace structures were crucial for unity and long-term stability.

During the visit, a dispute involving the destruction of Agha Farm in Gyel, Jos South, was resolved.

The statement said the MACBAN Chairman of Bassa LGA, Alhaji Isah Yau, paid N500,000 compensation to the farm owner, David Toma, leading to the release of two seized cows after both parties signed a peace agreement.

Nigeria coach, Eric Chelle, has alleged that a member of DR Congo’s staff engaged in “voodoo” during the penalty shootout of Sunday’s World Cup playoff in Rabat, where the Super Eagles were eliminated from contention for the 2026 tournament.

The term voodoo is widely used to describe different forms of traditional spiritual or ritual practices, although it is often referenced inaccurately in sports discussions.

Players, coaches, and fans occasionally raise claims that opponents rely on such practices to influence a match, implying that the result was affected by supernatural activity rather than tactics or athletic performance.

Nigeria’s qualification bid ended in a 4–3 penalty defeat after the match concluded 1–1 over 120 minutes at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.

The outcome means the Super Eagles will miss the World Cup for the second consecutive edition.

In a video shared by ESPN Africa on X on Monday, which captured Chelle speaking to journalists after the game, he explained that he reacted out of frustration after seeing repeated gestures from an individual in DR Congo’s technical area during the VAR review of a penalty incident.

“During all the penalty decision, a guy of Congo did some voodoo… Every time, every time, every time. So this is why I was a little nervous after him,” he said.

When pressed to clarify what he observed, Chelle demonstrated the gesture and added, “Something like that. I don’t know if it’s water or something like that.”

The allegations have not been independently verified.

PUNCH Online reports that Nigeria opened scoring through Frank Onyeka in the third minute before M. Elia levelled for DR Congo in the 32nd minute.

Both teams produced scoring opportunities during extra time, but neither side was able to secure a decisive goal.

The penalty shootout fluctuated with momentum swings.

Calvin Bassey and Moses Simon were unable to convert Nigeria’s early kicks, while goalkeeper Nwabali saved DR Congo’s first attempt to keep the contest even.

Akor Adams scored to keep Nigeria within reach before DR Congo converted their fourth penalty, sealing a 4–3 victory.

The win sends DR Congo into the intercontinental playoff, where they will compete for one of the remaining places at the expanded 48-team World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Nigeria advanced to the final after defeating Gabon 4–1 in extra time on Thursday, while DR Congo progressed with a 1–0 victory over Cameroon.

The Leopards will now await their playoff opponent as their qualification push continues, while Nigeria’s hopes came to an end in a dramatic and painful finish in Rabat.