Tension is mounting at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national headquarters, Wadata Plaza, Abuja, as rival camps loyal to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike prepare for a possible confrontation over control of the party secretariat today.
The standoff follows plans by a Wike-backed 13-member caretaker committee to reopen the PDP national secretariat with the backing of security agencies. The move, expected to be enforced by the police, has raised fears of clashes between opposing factions.
Speaking on Thursday after a closed-door meeting at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the national secretary of the Wike-backed faction, Samuel Anyanwu, announced that the group would take over the secretariat on Monday.
At the heart of the crisis is a prolonged power struggle between the Tanimu Turaki (SAN)-led faction, supported by PDP governors including Makinde and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, and the caretaker committee aligned with Wike. Turaki’s camp claims legitimacy based on the PDP national convention held in Ibadan on November 15, 2025 a convention later nullified by a Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Previous attempts by both factions to access the secretariat have ended in clashes and police intervention.
The caretaker committee’s Publicity Secretary, Jogudo Mohammed, said the police had been directed to reopen the secretariat in line with the Ibadan court judgment. He explained that fumigation and general clean-up of the premises would begin immediately, after which party activities including preparations for a March convention would resume.
Mohammed added that the sale of nomination forms for elective positions would commence on Tuesday at the secretariat, stressing that the court judgment remained valid and enforceable despite any appeal.
He warned that any attempt by members of the Turaki-led National Working Committee, who have been restrained from acting as party officers, to disrupt activities at Wadata Plaza could amount to contempt of court.
A senior caretaker committee member also confirmed that security agencies, including the police, were prepared to remove barricades at the secretariat, having been duly served with the court judgment.
However, the Turaki-led faction cautioned against what it described as self-help, noting that the matter was still before the courts. The faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, urged restraint, warning that any violence or destruction would be the responsibility of the police.
Former PDP National Vice Chairman (South West), Eddy Olafeso, expressed confidence that the Court of Appeal would resolve the crisis, insisting that the ongoing dispute would not spell the end of the PDP.
Despite the growing tension, both factions remain firm in their positions as the party braces for a decisive day at its national headquarters.
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