A former senator representing Kogi Central, Ahmed Ogembe, has declared that he cannot be suspended by the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), dismissing the party’s earlier announcement of disciplinary action against him.
The PDP had cited alleged anti-party activities, accusing Ogembe of boasting about the collapse of the party’s structure in Okene Local Government Area into the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In a statement, the PDP described Ogembe’s conduct as gross misconduct, a betrayal of trust, and deliberate actions that could undermine the party’s interests and survival in Kogi State.
Ogembe, however, responded in a brief statement on Monday asserting that he had already left the PDP prior to the suspension announcement.
“You cannot suspend someone who is no longer under your platform,” he said. The former lawmaker, once a prominent PDP figure in the state, has since joined the ADC, deepening the ongoing crisis within the Kogi PDP, which has faced several high-profile defections in recent months.
Meanwhile, in Lagos State, former PDP Chairman Tunji Shelle resigned from the party and formally joined the ADC on Saturday. Shelle, along with other party stalwarts and some Labour Party members, was received at an affirmation ceremony in Lagos. He criticized the PDP for “gross indiscipline and endless crises” and accused the party’s national leadership of failing to address destabilizing activities by certain figures, including the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, whom he alleged was secretly working for the All Progressives Congress (APC) while still claiming PDP membership.
“Wike cannot hijack the party while the rest of us appear helpless. I don’t accept being subjected to such ridicule. One man cannot work for APC and simultaneously hold PDP to ransom,” Shelle said.
Shelle emphasized that his defection, alongside other top leaders, has further weakened the PDP in Lagos. Among those who defected with him were former PDP Board of Trustees member Abimbola Ogunkelu, ex-state PDP Chairman Muritala Ashorobi, PDP Vice Chairman (Lagos East) Tai Benedict, former Youth Leader Niyi Adams, and former South West Secretary Rahman Owokoniran.
He described the ADC as a party of “tested and trusted politicians” capable of mounting a strong challenge to the ruling APC in the 2027 elections.