The Special Adviser on Legislative Matters to Oyo State Governor, Hon. Samuel Adejumobi, also known as Agbarapo, has further faulted the announced National Convention by a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party.
He tied the move to what he described as a long running script designed to deliberately sabotage and weaken the PDP ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Reacting to the publication announcing March 28 and 29, 2026, as dates for another PDP National Convention in Abuja, Adejumobi said the move was not only illegal but a dangerous attempt to foist confusion and illegitimacy on the party under the guise of judicial compliance.
Adejumobi, a former Majority Leader of the Oyo State House of Assembly, faulted the claim that the convention plan was backed by lawful party organs, insisting that no faction has the moral or constitutional authority to hijack the PDP through what he termed “manufactured NEC meetings and self serving communiqués.”
According to him, dressing factional decisions in the language of legality does not cure their fundamental defect.
“This is how political parties destroy themselves from within. You convene imaginary meetings, issue grand sounding statements and pretend that the rule of law has endorsed your ambition.
“The PDP Constitution is clear. The court is clear. The party structure is clear. What we are seeing here is a deliberate abuse of privilege to impress on the president,” Adejumobi said.
Adejumobi said the action of the Nyesom Wike backed group stands in direct contradiction to the legitimately convened National Convention of the party which held in Ibadan and produced a new and duly recognized national leadership under Barrister Kabiru Turaki SAN, as the National Chairman.
According to him, the Ibadan convention remains the only valid and constitutionally recognised gathering of the party, having followed due process and reflected the collective will of PDP stakeholders across the country after the expiration of the Alhaji Ilia Damaged led leadership.
“You cannot wish away history. The PDP held a legitimate and valid National Convention in Ibadan. Delegates were accredited. Officers were elected. A national leadership emerged under Alhaji Aminu Turaki. That is the reality. Every other contraption paraded as a planned convention is nothing but political theatre,” Adejumobi said.
He described the fixation of March dates for another convention by the Wike backed faction as a continuation of a deliberate plan to keep the party in a state of crisis, thereby weakening the PDP capacity to mount a serious challenge in 2027.
Adejumobi alleged that the unfolding events lend credence to the belief that the faction is acting out a script aimed at clearing the path for the All Progressives Congress and President Bola Tinubu to enjoy a less competitive electoral environment for a smooth second term.
“This is no longer about internal disagreement. It is about sabotage. The constant confusion, parallel structures and fake conventions are meant to ground the PDP, distract it and make it unelectable. Nigerians are not fools. The timing and pattern tell a clear story,” he said.
The former Majority Leader stressed that Wike and his followers lack the constitutional standing to act or speak on behalf of the PDP, noting that they had been expelled from the party in line with its constitution.
“Once you are expelled, you cease to exist within the party. You cannot call meetings. You cannot fix conventions. You cannot issue directives. You cannot parade yourself as PDP leaders. That is elementary party law,” Adejumobi stated.
He further argued that while courts may adjudicate disputes, the administration of a political party’s internal affairs remains the exclusive preserve of the party itself.
“No court administers a political party. Courts interpret the law. They do not run party congresses or appoint leaders. The power to manage PDP affairs lies squarely with the PDP, through its constitution and recognised organs,” he said.
Adejumobi warned that continued attempts to hide behind selective court pronouncements to justify factional control only deepen the crisis and expose the real intention of those involved.
He maintained that Governor Seyi Makinde and other leaders aligned with the Ibadan convention remain committed to rebuilding a strong, united and credible PDP capable of offering Nigerians a genuine alternative in 2027.
“The PDP will survive this phase. But those who have chosen to play a double game, weaken the party and openly work for the ruling party should not pretend anymore. History is taking record of all their actions, and it will judge who stood to build and who stood to destroy,” Adejumobi added.