THE national headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Wadata Plaza, Abuja, remained locked on Monday as the faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, postponed its planned reopening and takeover of the facility amid lingering administrative and security processes.
News Point Nigeria reports that the Wike-backed faction, operating under a National Caretaker Committee, explained that its absence from the party secretariat was not due to police resistance, but rather ongoing procedural and security reviews being conducted by law enforcement authorities ahead of the reopening.
Speaking to this newspaper, the National Publicity Secretary of the National Caretaker Committee, Jungudo Mohammed, dismissed claims that the Nigeria Police Force had rejected the faction’s request to access the party headquarters.
“I am not aware that the police declined our request, and I do not believe that is true,” Mohammed said. “The police are the appropriate authority to explain why the secretariat has not yet been opened, and we cannot force them.”
According to him, the police are still concluding internal administrative and security processes before taking a final decision on reopening the premises.
“They are still carrying out their administrative and security procedures. However, we are confident that the secretariat will be reopened,” he added.
Mohammed stressed that the police are under a legal obligation to reopen the PDP headquarters in compliance with a subsisting court order, noting that the initial closure stemmed from disputes over the party’s legitimate leadership, which he said had already been resolved by the courts.
“The closure resulted from disagreements within the party over who constitutes the lawful leadership, but that matter has been settled by the court. Therefore, the police are expected to reopen the secretariat to allow legitimate party activities to resume,” he said.
Responding to questions on what steps the faction would take if the police further delayed the reopening, Mohammed assured that the group would remain law-abiding.
“We will continue to engage the police respectfully to understand the delay and address any concerns they may have. We will not resort to violence or unlawful actions,” he said.
He added that while no definite date had been fixed for the reopening, the caretaker committee remained optimistic that access would be granted once security protocols were concluded.
“The exact date is not yet known because administrative processes can face delays. But once those processes are completed, we are confident the secretariat will be reopened,” Mohammed said.
The development comes amid escalating tensions between the Wike-backed faction and the National Working Committee (NWC) led by Tanimu Turaki (SAN), which is supported by PDP governors including Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi, Dauda Lawal of Zamfara, and Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State.
On Sunday, both camps traded accusations over the proposed reopening of Wadata Plaza, with the Wike-aligned group insisting it would proceed with taking over the secretariat, while the Turaki-led NWC warned that the police would be held responsible for any breakdown of law and order at the premises.
The crisis traces back to January 30, 2026, when a Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan nullified the PDP National Convention held on November 15, 2025, and barred Turaki and other officials elected at the convention from parading themselves as national officers of the party.
Before the court ruling, PDP governors had endorsed the Ibadan convention, which produced Turaki and members of the NWC for a four-year tenure. The governors had also overseen a transition from former PDP Chairman Umar Damagum to Turaki before Damagum’s tenure expired on December 9.
However, on December 8, the Wike-aligned faction constituted a 13-member caretaker committee, appointing Abdulrahman Mohammed as Acting National Chairman and Samuel Anyanwu as Acting National Secretary, with a 60-day mandate.
Attempts by both factions to convene meetings at the party headquarters on November 18, 2025, degenerated into violence, prompting the police to seal off Wadata Plaza. The secretariat has remained closed for nearly three months since then.
Following the Ibadan court ruling, which favoured the Wike-backed group, the PDP announced plans to conduct a fresh national convention to elect new party leaders. Subsequently, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognised and invited the caretaker committee to represent the party in line with the judgment.
At a meeting convened by the caretaker committee, Anyanwu announced that the party secretariat would be reopened on Monday for their use, a move that was immediately rejected by the Turaki-led NWC, further deepening the internal crisis.