The faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aligned with the minister of the federal capital territory, Nyesom Wike, has sought to explain its failure to appear at the party’s national secretariat on Monday, insisting that police did not deny it access but were still concluding security and administrative procedures before reopening the premises.
The group, operating under a national caretaker committee, said speculation that it was barred by law enforcement officers from entering the PDP headquarters at Wadata Plaza was “untrue”.
The committee’s national publicity secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, said the police remained the only authority able to determine when the building would be reopened after being sealed for months following violent clashes between rival factions.
“I am not aware that the police declined our request, and I do not believe that is true,” Mohammed said. “The police are the appropriate authority to confirm why the secretariat has not yet been opened, and we cannot force them.
“They are still carrying out their administrative and security processes before taking final action. However, we are certain that the secretariat will be reopened.”
Mohammed said the continued closure was originally linked to internal party disputes over leadership, but argued that the matter had now been resolved in court and the police were therefore obliged to comply with the ruling.
“The police must open the secretariat because they are required to comply with the court order,” he said. “The closure resulted from disagreements within the party over who constitutes the genuine leadership, but that matter has already been settled by the court.
“Therefore, the police are expected to reopen the secretariat to allow for the lawful activities and business of the political party.”
He added: “It is not true that the police declined our request; what we know is that they intend to reopen it once their internal processes are concluded.”
Asked what the faction would do if the police continued to delay the reopening, Mohammed said it would not take any confrontational steps, insisting it remained committed to lawful engagement.
“We are law-abiding people and leaders, and we will continue to engage the police respectfully to understand any delays and address any concerns they may have,” he said.
“We will not resort to violence or unlawful actions. The police are a law-enforcement agency and must comply with court orders, and we are confident it will not escalate to any conflict.”
While he could not provide a specific date, Mohammed said the group was confident Wadata Plaza would soon be reopened.
“What we know for certain is that the secretariat will be reopened for party activities,” he said. “The exact date for reopening is not yet known because administrative processes sometimes face delays, even after tentative timelines are given.
“Nonetheless, once those processes are completed soon, we remain optimistic that the secretariat will be reopened.”
The latest development follows a weekend of heated exchanges between the Wike-backed camp and the rival National Working Committee led by the senior advocate of Nigeria, Tanimu Turaki, over a planned reopening of the party headquarters.
While the Wike-aligned faction insisted it would proceed with reclaiming the premises, the Turaki camp – reportedly backed by governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi, Dauda Lawal of Zamfara and Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa – warned that the police would be held responsible should violence erupt at the secretariat.
The crisis stems from a federal high court ruling delivered in Ibadan on 30 January 2026, which nullified the PDP national convention held on 15 November 2025 and barred Turaki and other officials elected at the convention from presenting themselves as national officers.
Before the judgment, PDP governors had endorsed the Ibadan convention, which produced Turaki and members of the NWC for a four-year term. The governors had also overseen a transition from the former acting national chairman, Umar Damagum, to Turaki, even though Damagum’s tenure was due to end on 9 December.
But on 8 December, a Wike-aligned faction constituted a 13-member caretaker committee, appointing Abdulrahman Mohammed as acting national chairman and Samuel Anyanwu as acting national secretary, with a 60-day mandate.
Tensions boiled over on 18 November 2025, when rival groups attempted to hold meetings at Wadata Plaza, leading to violence that prompted police to seal the headquarters. The secretariat has remained shut for nearly three months.
Following the court decision in Ibadan, which favoured the Wike faction, the party announced plans to hold a fresh convention. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) later invited the Wike-backed group to represent the PDP, in line with the ruling.
Anyanwu subsequently announced that Wadata Plaza would be reopened for their use on Monday – a move the Turaki-led NWC strongly opposed, deepening fears of another confrontation at the party’s headquarters.
