TENSION heightened on Monday at the national headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Wadata Plaza, Abuja, as a faction allegedly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, attempted to take control of the party’s secretariat.
News Point Nigeria reports that the move is the latest escalation in the deepening crisis rocking the opposition party, which has faced internal division since its defeat in the 2023 general elections.
The Wike-aligned faction recently announced the appointment of Muhammed Abdulrahman as the acting National Chairman, following retaliatory suspensions exchanged between both camps.
Earlier, the Umar Damagum-led National Working Committee (NWC) suspended the former National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, along with some officials believed to be Wike loyalists.
Responding swiftly, the rival faction announced the suspension of Damagum and other key party figures, accusing the current leadership of mismanaging the party and weakening the opposition’s voice.
It then named Abdulrahman as the new acting chairman, insisting that a leadership overhaul was necessary to save the PDP from collapse.
Addressing journalists at the PDP’s Federal Capital Territory office before storming the headquarters, Abdulrahman vowed to restore discipline and unity to the troubled party.
“Our glorious party is now in a pitiable state because of the actions and inactions of its leaders,” he said.
“From being the ruling party for 16 uninterrupted years to now struggling as a humbled opposition, we cannot continue like this. Defections have continued unabated and critical stakeholders feel abandoned.”
He said his emergence at such a critical time was a call to rescue the party: “I have accepted to become Acting National Chairman through the mercy of God and the instrumentality of stakeholders. My task is to end factionalisation, rebuild trust, and return the PDP to winning ways.”
After his briefing, Abdulrahman and his team moved to the PDP headquarters, where supporters had already gathered.
Meanwhile, party loyalists backing Damagum also mobilised to defend their leadership, raising fears of a violent confrontation. Armed police operatives, deployed in no fewer than 10 Hilux patrol vans, mounted heavy security around the premises to avert clashes.
Security sources said the deployment became necessary due to intelligence reports suggesting the situation could degenerate into chaos.
As of press time, both factions continued to lay claim to the party’s top leadership position while security agencies maintained surveillance at the secretariat.