The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has descended further into crisis after a faction aligned with Nyesom Wike moved to assume control of its national headquarters in Abuja, following the reopening of the premises by police.
The development marks a new phase in the protracted internal struggle within the Peoples Democratic Party, which has been riven by competing claims to leadership and legitimacy since late 2025.
The party’s national secretariat at Wadata Plaza had been sealed after a breakdown of order on 18 November 2025, when rival factions of the National Working Committee clashed. One bloc, led by Kabiru Taminu Turaki and backed by Oyo state governor Seyi Makinde and Bauchi state governor Bala Mohammed, confronted a rival group aligned with Wike and led by Abdulrahman Mohammed.
After months of legal disputes, the Court of Appeal ruled on 9 March in favour of the Wike-backed camp, voiding the Ibadan convention held in November and endorsed by the governors’ faction.
On Saturday, the Mohammed-led faction announced that police had unsealed both Wadata Plaza and Legacy House, another key party office in Abuja, and handed control to its leadership in compliance with court orders. In a statement issued by its national publicity secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, the group warned that it would not tolerate any disruption at the secretariat.
The faction praised the Nigeria Police Force for what it described as professionalism and adherence to due process, framing the move as a restoration of constitutional order.
It also called on aggrieved members to “sheath their swords” and rally behind the leadership, while expressing appreciation to Wike for his role during the crisis, describing his support as “invaluable”.
But the rival Turaki-led faction rejected the takeover, accusing state institutions of bias and alleging that the police acted despite an ongoing appeal against the underlying court decision.
Its spokesperson, Ini Ememobong, said the move reflected “the continuous reckless disposition of national institutions and their partisan nature”, arguing that no valid subsisting order justified the handover.
“Now, a judge grants an order granting access to the secretariat. That order has been appealed,” he said, adding that the police had been duly notified. “It is another addition in the series of partisan use of their discretion.”
The faction accused the police of effectively aiding one side in the dispute and warned that such actions risked rendering any future ruling by the appellate court meaningless.
In a strongly worded statement, the group alleged that the secretariat had been “taken over by agents of the federal government and APC apologists, masquerading as PDP members”, and described the police’s conduct as “most shameful”.
Ememobong also widened the criticism, claiming that key national institutions—including the judiciary—had been “weaponised along party lines”, a charge that underscores growing concerns over neutrality in Nigeria’s political landscape.
Despite the escalation, the Turaki-aligned faction said it would remain law-abiding, urging its supporters to avoid actions that could lead to violence while it pursued legal remedies.
The competing claims to the party’s headquarters highlight the depth of the PDP’s internal divisions, with both sides expressing confidence that the courts will ultimately vindicate their positions.
For now, the reopening of the secretariat—rather than resolving the impasse—appears to have entrenched it, raising fresh questions about the party’s cohesion as political manoeuvring ahead of future elections gathers pace.
