THE PEOPLES Democratic Party (PDP) descended into an unprecedented state of public disarray on Tuesday as two rival factions, each claiming legitimate authority, staged a dramatic and contentious struggle for control of the party’s National Secretariat, Wadata Plaza, Abuja.
The day’s events, marked by locked gates, high-profile confrontations, and a significant deployment of security forces, laid bare the profound internal crisis threatening the very foundation of the former ruling party.
The conflict stems from a fundamental schism within the party’s leadership. On one side stands the faction led by Mr. Tanimu Turaki, who was elected as the new National Chairman during a national convention held in Ibadan the previous Saturday.
The convention, which the Turaki faction insists was legitimate, resulted in the expulsion of several prominent figures, including the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Nyesom Wike.
The Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC) had scheduled its inaugural meeting with party stakeholders for 10:00 a.m. at its Wadata Plaza National Secretariat.
In direct opposition is the faction aligned with FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike. This group recognises Alhaji Abdulrahman Mohammed as the acting National Chairman and has declared the Ibadan convention, and thus the Turaki leadership, illegitimate.
In a bold counter-move, the Abdulrahman-led NWC summoned parallel meetings of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) and its Board of Trustees (BoT) for 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., respectively, at the very same venue.
The stage was thus set for a direct confrontation. The crisis erupted mid-morning when the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, accompanied by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, arrived at Wadata Plaza.
They were met with the symbolic defiance of the main gates being padlocked. Undeterred, the governors abandoned their motorcades and accessed the premises on foot.
Their arrival was shortly followed by that of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, whose motorcade found its path blocked by the governors’ vehicles.
The situation quickly degenerated as security operatives, comprising personnel from the Police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Department of State Services (DSS), fired teargas canisters to disperse a gathering crowd that included party members, journalists, and alleged political thugs.
In the ensuing chaos, Minister Wike was able to gain access to the premises but remained sequestered in his car, parked in front of the building, for an extended period.
The political stalemate manifested physically within the secretariat compound. While the Deputy Commissioner of Police for the FCT command, Mr. Ishiaku Sharu, arrived on the scene to order Governor Mohammed and his group to vacate the premises, the Governor refused, stating they would only depart if Minister Wike and all others did the same. The governors subsequently retreated inside the NWC hall, citing an ongoing meeting.
Meanwhile, the Wike-aligned faction, led by the suspended National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, proceeded with its activities.
Senator Anyanwu, addressing the press, vigorously defended his faction’s legitimacy and control of the secretariat. He asserted that he remained the National Secretary until December 8 and described the security deployment as a routine measure for high-level party meetings, for which he had formally requested authorisation.
He dismissed the Ibadan convention as a “jamboree,” claiming it was neither monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) nor properly communicated, and was therefore null and void.
On Monday, Mr. Turaki had visited the FCT Police Command Headquarters to formally seek police protection, presenting himself as the law-abiding leader poised to reclaim the party’s headquarters. He declared the individuals occupying the secretariat, including Senator Anyanwu, as expelled interlopers with no standing in the party. “We are holding the meeting in our national secretariat,” Turaki stated, “and anybody that is sitting there without our consent and permission is an interloper.” He struck a grave tone, vowing that his faction was “prepared to lay down our lives” to defend the party and democracy.
As the day progressed, the Wike-aligned faction successfully conducted its scheduled NEC and BoT meetings inside the building, effectively establishing a physical hold on Wadata Plaza.
Outside, the scene was a perfect portrait of the party’s division: anti-Turaki protesters waved placards, security forces maintained a tense perimeter, and the rival factions remained locked in a standoff that left the PDP’s future leadership and unity hanging in the balance.
The day concluded not with resolution, but with the clear and unsettling image of a major political institution paralysed by its own internal contradictions.
