By Emeka Amaefula
WHY RIVERS PDP DELEGATES BOYCOTTED THE IBADAN CONVENTION — AND WHY THEY WON’T BE JOINING APC ANYTIME SOON
Inside the Power Struggle, Courtroom Chess, and 2027 Calculations Shaping Nigeria’s Most Explosive Political Drama.
THE QUIET CONVENTION THAT SHOOK A PARTY
The air around the University of Ibadan International Conference Centre seemed still on the morning of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Convention. Delegates arrived from every geopolitical zone, carrying with them the hope of a revival for a party struggling to hold relevance.
But one absence was too loud to ignore.
There were no delegates from Rivers State—one of PDP’s most formidable strongholds.
The empty seats told a story. A story of loyalty, defiance, and a political war far from over.
THE WIKE FACTOR: A MAN, A MACHINE, AND A TUG-OF-WAR
At the center of this raging storm stands Nyesom Ezenwo Wike — the former Rivers State Governor, current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, and the most dominant force in the politics of Rivers State since 2015.
Wike is not just another party man. He built structures, empowered loyalists, and converted both the state bureaucracy and party machinery into an extension of his political will. From the local ward leaders to state lawmakers and commissioners, loyalty to Wike is not optional — it is the rule.
Even now, suspended by a faction of the PDP led by former Minister of Special Duties, Alhaji Tanimu Turaki and openly resisted by Governor Seyi Makinde’s faction in Oyo, Wike is still the power everyone fears, the fighter who never leaves a battlefield without swinging back.
THE COURTROOM FRONTLINE: BATTLE EXTENDS TO ABUJA
The convention may be over, but the war has only changed venues.
In Abuja, Justice James Omotosho is presiding over a case that could upend the entire Ibadan convention. With PDP elder and former Jigawa Governor Sule Lamido challenging the legality of the gathering and aspiring to national chairmanship, Wike’s camp is banking on the judiciary to rewrite the script.
And if history is any guide, Wike rarely plays a fight he cannot win—or at least turn into a bargaining chip.
RIVERS PDP: NO DEFECTION, JUST A LONG GAME
Despite their absence at Ibadan, the Rivers political bloc is not packing its bags for the APC — at least not now.
Yes, the State PDP Chairman, Chief Aaron Chukwuemeka, and the entire state executive have been suspended. Yes, 13 House of Representatives members, 3 senators, and 31 state lawmakers stand technically adrift.
But the heart of the matter remains: Wike and his people are staying put in the PDP.
Not because they feel at home — but because staying gives them leverage.
2027: THE REAL WAR
Everything happening now is a rehearsal for the main event — the 2027 general elections.
Wike is already quietly rebuilding his political army through the Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI), his most loyal political structure. With GDI, he is counting votes not in Abuja but in streets, villages, creeks, markets — the real battlefield.
His strategy is clear: hold Rivers State firmly under his influence, Influence PDP’s future or wrestle it from within,and ultimately deliver massive grassroots support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election — a partnership that has already reshaped national politics
In other words: Rivers PDP isn’t defecting because Wike isn’t done using PDP yet.
IN THE END…
The PDP convention was supposed to be a show of unity. Instead, it revealed just how deep the cracks run. And Rivers State — once the cash cow and vote powerhouse of the PDP — now stands as proof that the party’s biggest battles are not against other parties, but within itself.
The seats at Ibadan were empty.
But the fight is still full.
And the next round will not happen in a convention hall — but in the courts, in the wards, and on the road to 2027.
— Emeka Amaefula——+234(0)8111813069—–
