Tension is mounting within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as plans by a caretaker committee backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to reopen the party’s national secretariat at Wadata Plaza, Abuja, on Monday with police support have raised fears of possible clashes.
The national secretary of the Wike-aligned PDP faction, Samuel Anyanwu, disclosed the plan on Thursday after a closed-door meeting at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), stating that the group intended to take over the secretariat.
The move is the latest flashpoint in a protracted leadership struggle between two rival factions within the party. On one side is the Tanimu Turaki (SAN)-led group, backed by several PDP governors, including Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State. On the other is a 13-member caretaker committee constituted by the Wike-backed faction.
Turaki’s faction is laying claim to the legitimacy of the PDP national convention held in Ibadan on November 15, 2025, a position that has since been undermined by a Federal High Court ruling in Ibadan, Oyo State, which overturned the convention’s outcome.
Previous attempts by both factions to gain access to the Wadata Plaza secretariat resulted in confrontations that required police intervention to restore calm.
Speaking to reporters, the caretaker committee’s Publicity Secretary, Jogudo Mohammed, alongside another committee member who requested anonymity, said the police had been directed to reopen the secretariat in compliance with the Federal High Court judgment.
Mohammed explained that once the premises are fumigated and cleaned, the committee plans to commence convention-related activities at the secretariat.
“Yes, by Monday, February 9, we expect the Wadata Plaza office to be opened for party business,” Mohammed said. He added that the sale of nomination forms for elective positions ahead of the March convention would begin on Tuesday at the secretariat.
He stressed that the court judgment authorising the reopening remains binding, noting that the filing of an appeal does not automatically suspend the execution of a subsisting judgment unless expressly ordered by a superior court.
Mohammed warned that any attempt by members of the Turaki-led National Working Committee, who had been restrained from acting as national officers, to disrupt activities at the secretariat could amount to contempt of court.
Another senior member of the caretaker committee said security agencies, including the police, were fully aware of the court ruling and had been served certified true copies, adding that barricades at the secretariat would be removed to allow normal operations to resume.
However, the Turaki-led faction cautioned against what it described as self-help, insisting that the matter remains before the courts. The faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, warned that any violence or destruction arising from the planned reopening would be the responsibility of the police.
He said the faction’s legal challenges were still pending before both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal, expressing confidence that the appellate court would eventually grant relief.
Also reacting, former PDP National Vice Chairman (South West), Eddy Olafeso, described the secretariat dispute as a minor aspect of a broader crisis, expressing optimism that the Court of Appeal would resolve all outstanding issues and restore stability within the party.
Despite the ongoing turmoil, Olafeso maintained that the crisis would not mark the end of the PDP, expressing hope that justice would prevail and the party would survive internal divisions.
