Samuel Anyanwu, a senior figure in the Peoples Democratic Party, has rejected his reported expulsion, describing the recent national convention in Ibadan as nothing more than a “jamboree.”
Speaking on Sunday, Anyanwu, who previously served as the party’s national secretary and was under suspension, dismissed the legitimacy of the gathering. He argued that the convention lacked the proper foundation, pointing out that sixteen states had yet to conduct their congresses and the entire South-East had not completed its processes. “Even the ones done earlier have not been communicated to INEC,” he said, calling the convention “illegitimate.”
The Ibadan event saw the expulsion of Anyanwu alongside high-profile figures including Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory minister, and Ayo Fayose, former governor of Ekiti State. Party structures in Imo, Abia, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers were also dissolved during the proceedings.
Anyanwu dismissed the authority of the convention to remove him from the party. “I just told you that I was not expelled. Who expelled me? What platform do they have to expel me?” he asked, reiterating that his suspension was already the subject of a court ruling. He emphasized that the committee, led by Tom Ikimi, had no new authority to alter his status outside the judicial process.
The convention, which extended from Saturday into early Sunday, ended with the election of Kabiru Turaki, a former minister, as the new national chairman. Anyanwu’s comments highlight the deep divisions within the PDP, as questions over procedural legitimacy continue to surface.
