Eighty-three days since police in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sealed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national secretariat, the standoff between competing factions shows no signs of ending.
The party’s headquarters at Wadata Plaza, Abuja, remains inaccessible, with neither side able to assert control.
Heavy police presence continues, underscoring the severity of the internal crisis within Nigeria’s main opposition party.
The prolonged shutdown highlights the deep divisions in the PDP.
On one side is the National Working Committee (NWC) led by Dr. Tanimu Turaki (SAN), supported by PDP governors including Seyi Makinde of Oyo State.
On the other is the National Caretaker Committee headed by Abdulrahman Mohammed, backed by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
Both factions claim legitimacy, yet have been forced to operate from separate locations while legal battles and threats persist.
Tensions escalated last Thursday when Senator Samuel Anyanwu, the Caretaker Committee Secretary, announced plans for his faction to take over the secretariat on Monday.
The Turaki-led group immediately rejected the move, with National Publicity Secretary Comrade Ini Ememobong warning that any takeover attempt would be challenged through all legal channels.
When DAILY GAZETTE visited the secretariat on Monday, police barricades and reinforced security measures blocked access, including the road leading to Wuse Zone 5.
Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, National Publicity Secretary of the Wike-backed faction, said his group was waiting for formal police clearance before entering.
He added that the offices would require cleaning and fumigation after weeks of closure.
“The police have not completed their administrative processes,” Mohammed said. “Once they do, we will resume operations. Until then, it is impossible to access the office.”
He insisted that the court had ruled in favor of the Caretaker Committee and warned that any violent attempt to seize the premises would be met with legal action.
Meanwhile, sources close to the Turaki-led NWC indicated plans to block any attempt by the Wike-backed faction to occupy the secretariat, arguing that police access for one faction could be seen as taking sides in a matter still before the courts.
The lockdown of the PDP secretariat followed violent clashes in November between the factions, resulting in injuries and the firing of tear gas at Wadata Plaza.
The incident sparked political tension between governors and the FCT minister, leading the police to seal the building the next day to prevent further confrontations.
Senator Anyanwu maintained that the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led Caretaker Committee is the legitimate leadership of the party.
“The Federal High Court in Ibadan has made it clear that the November 2025 convention was null and void,” he said.
The Turaki-led faction, however, continues to contest the legality of any move to open the secretariat.
Ememobong said letters had been sent to the Inspector-General of Police and FCT Command, reminding them that the building remains under litigation.
“Any attempt to grant access now would be illegal and undermine the authority of the courts,” he said.
In the midst of the dispute, INEC clarified that its recent engagement with the Anyanwu-led faction did not signify recognition of one side over another.
Wilfred Osilama Ifogah, Deputy Director of Publicity at INEC, explained that invitations are addressed to the party as a whole, not to specific factions.
“We do not determine which individuals attend; that is up to the party,” he said, dismissing suggestions that the commission was endorsing one faction.
The PDP crisis at Wadata Plaza continues to cast a shadow over the party’s unity, with both factions digging in and the national secretariat remaining firmly under lock and key.
