PDP picks Ogunbiyi to run Lagos affairs as Popoola battles ill health
- The PDP's national working committee has asked Lagos deputy chairman Kayode Ogunbiyi to act as state chairman.
- A letter dated November 3 says substantive chairman Muka Popoola is unwell.
- Ogunbiyi will hold the role until the party holds a congress to choose a substantive leader.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has put its Lagos State deputy chairman, Kayode Ogunbiyi, in charge of the party's affairs in the state for now, after the substantive chairman, Muka Popoola, fell ill.
The party's National Working Committee (NWC) gave the approval in a letter dated November 3, 2026, signed by the National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature. The letter was addressed to the deputy chairman and carried the reference number PDP/NOS/GF1/Vol.1/009.
In the letter, Bature said the national body was stepping in because of Popoola's health. He said Ogunbiyi would serve as acting chairman from the date of the letter until the party can organise a congress.
The News Agency of Nigeria reported that the arrangement took effect immediately. Bature also congratulated Ogunbiyi on the new assignment.
Why it matters in Lagos
Lagos is Nigeria's biggest commercial city and the state with the largest voting population, so who runs each party's state chapter shapes how well it can organise, raise funds and prepare for elections. For PDP members and supporters in Lagos, the change means a new person is now in charge of day-to-day decisions, from ward meetings to candidate preparations.
The party has not said when the congress to choose a substantive chairman will hold. Until then, Ogunbiyi is expected to lead the state executive.
What happens next
The PDP is expected to organise a state congress at some point to elect a permanent chairman. Neither the party nor the letter gave a date for that congress.
There was no immediate word from Popoola or Ogunbiyi beyond what the letter and the NAN report said.
