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Tensions erupted at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, November 18, after the faction led by newly elected National Chairman, Taminu Turaki, forced its way into the party’s national secretariat to assert control over Wadata Plaza.
Turaki arrived at the complex in the company of prominent PDP governors, including Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed. Their entrance was resisted by security operatives at the gate, leading to a brief physical standoff before the group eventually pushed through and made its way into the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting hall.
The dramatic encounter stemmed from a leadership clash between two parallel factions that had both scheduled meetings at the secretariat for the same day.
The crisis pits the newly elected National Working Committee (NWC) — chosen at a recent convention in Ibadan — against a rival structure within the party.
The opposing faction, loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and led by National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, had reportedly arrived earlier and occupied strategic positions inside the building ahead of its own meeting. The arrival of the Turaki-led group, bolstered by the governors, further heightened the tension.
Speaking to journalists after gaining access, Chairman Turaki accused the rival faction of deploying tear gas and attempting to physically block his team from entering the premises.
He maintained that his faction had now taken full control of the secretariat and would continue to operate from Wadata Plaza as the authentic leadership of the PDP.
Turaki vowed that his team would defend the party and protect Nigeria’s democratic system “at all costs,” expressing readiness to make personal sacrifices to safeguard democratic institutions.
He also urged Nigerians and the international community to closely monitor what he described as an emerging threat to the nation’s political stability arising from the escalating factional dispute.
