The leadership crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) escalated in Ondo State on Wednesday, as a faction aligned with Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, unveiled a new state executive council.
The faction elected Olaniyi Ogungbuji as chairman during a “consensus congress” held in Akure, with other officials including Akinwamide Adedeji as Deputy Chairman, Yagba Timilehin as Secretary, Alake Joseph Olumuyiwa as Treasurer, Barrister Clement Adefemi as Legal Adviser, Akintemi Akinduyite as Financial Secretary, and Sadiq Fatai as Publicity Secretary, alongside 32 other executive members.
The move comes amid an ongoing leadership tussle within the PDP, following a Court of Appeal ruling that nullified the party’s November 15-16 national convention in Ibadan, where Tanimu Turaki (SAN) had emerged as national chairman. In defiance of the ruling, the Wike-backed faction has scheduled a parallel national convention for March 28 in Abuja, after completing ward, zonal, and state congresses nationwide.
After his emergence, Ogungbuji called for unity among party members in Ondo State, urging stakeholders to set aside differences and pledging to reposition the PDP ahead of the 2027 general elections. “Unity is key and we must work together as one family to move the party forward in order to achieve meaningful results in the 2027 elections,” he said.
Adebiyi Abiodun-Philips, chairman of the Wike-aligned Congress Committee, described the exercise as peaceful, conducted under tight security, and supervised by a seven-member Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) delegation. He insisted that there was no longer any faction within the PDP and called for reconciliation at the national level.
However, the recognised PDP leadership in Ondo State rejected the parallel executives. State chairman Dupe Aisida described the emergence of Ogungbuji and his team as illegitimate and unlawful, noting that Ogungbuji had been suspended indefinitely by his own ward over alleged gross misconduct and anti-party activities.
Aisida added, “The PDP in Ondo state is not available for hijack by political opportunists and agents of destabilisation. Our party in the State has a history, a structure and a constitutional foundation that cannot be overturned by propaganda, impunity, or illegality.”
