Anyanwu rejects expulsion from PDP, says convention was a jamboree

Samuel Anyanwu, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says the party’s convention at the weekend in Ibadan was a “jamboree”.

Anyanwu, who was expelled at the convention, reacted on Sunday during an interview with Channels Television.

During the event, the party also expelled Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and Ayo Fayose, former governor of Ekiti.

Others were Umar Bature, Ajibade Kamarudeen, Mao Ohabunwa, Uwachukuwu George, Turner Dan Orbih, Mohammed Abdulrahman, Austin Nwachukwu, and Abraham Amah.

The opposition party also dissolved its structures in Imo, Abia, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers states.

Anyanwu said the event was “illegitimate”.

“Sixteen states had not even done their congresses; the entire south-east has not done their congress — all that happened yesterday [at the convention] was a jamboree,” he said.

“Even the ones done earlier have not been communicated to INEC. 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 maintained that the absence of several state delegations from the exercise meant the event, which ran from Saturday into early Sunday, fell short of an inclusive convention.

The punitive measure followed a motion from Bode George, member of the board of trustees (BoT).

“I just told you that I was not expelled. Who expelled me? What platform do they have to expel me? And even beside that, even when they tried to do that, remember when they were forming this, supposedly they didn’t,” Anyanwu said.

“This is a committee headed by Tom Ikimi, which is saying that they have been committed to my suspension. It was not today. I went to court. It’s a court judgment. It’s a court order.”

Until his expulsion, Anyanwu was the suspended national secretary of the party.

On Sunday, a new leadership of the party was elected to be headed by Kabiru Turaki, the former minister of special duties and intergovernmental affairs.