Former Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has called for the immediate expulsion of members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who are simultaneously supporting the African Democratic Congress (ADC), saying dual political loyalty is unacceptable.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Ortom made it clear that the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) has been directed to take decisive disciplinary action against such individuals.
“There is no way you will be in PDP and be in another party,” Ortom said. “We have directed them to expel all of them. You cannot have two parties running at the same time. You must be in one. So if you want to be in PDP, you remain there.”
Though Ortom did not mention any names, his remarks come amid growing friction within the opposition following the emergence of a new political coalition led by the ADC. Several high-profile figures from various parties, including the PDP, have openly backed the ADC coalition while claiming to retain their existing party affiliations.
The controversy has reignited calls for political discipline and loyalty within Nigeria’s major opposition party as it attempts to regroup ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Ortom’s comments also appear to take aim at political figures like Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, who has been heavily criticized for supporting the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Tinubu while still being a PDP member. Wike not only backed Tinubu during the 2023 elections but has also publicly declared his intention to support Tinubu’s reelection in 2027.
Reacting to similar instances, Ortom said the party would no longer tolerate such contradictions. “Even today, I received somebody who was saying ‘coalition, coalition’. He said he has come back to the PDP,” he noted, suggesting that some members are now returning to the party after dalliances with the ADC alliance.
The former governor’s statement underscores a broader push by PDP loyalists to reassert control and unity within the party ranks as new alliances and political coalitions take shape across the country.
