By Erewunmi Peace

Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed the recent expulsion of his principal from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), describing the party’s Ibadan convention as nothing more than a “social party.”

The PDP had, during its National Convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, announced the expulsion of Wike and some of his allies, accusing them of anti-party activities. But reacting on Monday, Olayinka mocked the delegates who attended the meeting, saying they were merely at the event to “enjoy themselves and get intoxicated.”

According to him, the supposed decisions taken at the convention were irrelevant and not to be taken seriously.

“Those people only went to Ibadan to start Dirty December in November. They gathered, enjoyed themselves, got intoxicated and decided to say whatever they liked,” he said.

Olayinka insisted that the expulsion carried no weight, stressing that the convention lacked legitimacy and did not reflect the position of the authentic party structure. He added that the group behind the decision had no authority to sanction Wike or any of his associates.

The reaction comes amid internal crisis within the PDP, with multiple factions laying claim to control of the party. Wike, a former governor of Rivers State and a prominent figure within the party before joining the APC-led federal government, has been accused by PDP loyalists of working against the party’s interests since 2023.

Meanwhile, Wike’s camp maintains that any actions taken at the Ibadan convention are “illegal” and will not stand.