Fresh tension has enveloped the Peoples Democratic Party as rival camps loyal to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, prepare for a possible showdown at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja today.
The anxiety followed plans by a Wike-backed caretaker committee to reopen the PDP national secretariat at Wadata Plaza, Abuja, with the backing of security agencies.
Speaking after a closed-door meeting at the Independent National Electoral Commission on Thursday, the National Secretary of the Wike-aligned faction, Samuel Anyanwu, said the group would take possession of the secretariat on Monday.
The dispute over the control of the party headquarters is part of a protracted power tussle between a faction led by Tanimu Turaki (SAN), supported by governors including Makinde and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, and a 13-member caretaker committee loyal to Wike.
The Turaki faction claims legitimacy based on the PDP national convention held in Ibadan on November 15, 2025, a convention that was later nullified by a Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Previous attempts by the opposing factions to access the Wadata Plaza secretariat had degenerated into clashes, forcing police intervention.
The caretaker committee’s Publicity Secretary, Jogudo Mohammed, said the police had been directed to reopen the secretariat in compliance with the Ibadan court judgment, adding that fumigation would precede the resumption of party activities.
Mohammed said the sale of nomination forms for the party’s March convention would commence at the secretariat immediately after the clean-up, insisting that the court ruling remained binding despite appeals.
He warned that any effort by members of the Turaki-led National Working Committee, who were restrained by the court from acting as party officers, to interfere with activities at the secretariat could amount to contempt of court.
However, the Turaki-led faction cautioned against what it described as self-help, arguing that the matter was still before the Court of Appeal. The faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, said responsibility for any breakdown of law and order would rest with the police.
Also reacting, a former PDP National Vice Chairman (South West), Eddy Olafeso, expressed confidence that the Court of Appeal would resolve all outstanding issues, insisting that the ongoing crisis would not spell the end of the party.