Clash Alert: Rival PDP factions set to hold conflicting meetings at same Abuja venue amid deepening crisis

A potential showdown is unfolding in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as two rival factions plan separate meetings at the party’s national secretariat in Wadata Plaza, Abuja, today, intensifying an already deepening crisis.

The Wike-aligned faction has scheduled an emergency Board of Trustees (BoT) meeting for 11:00 a.m., while the newly elected National Working Committee (NWC) under National Chairman Kabiru Turaki intends to hold its National Executive Committee (NEC) session at 2:00 p.m. – both at the same venue. The overlapping schedules have raised fears of a direct confrontation.

Speaking on Arise TV, suspended National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu insisted that the Turaki-led faction had no right to access the party secretariat today, warning that any attempt would be seen as an intrusion. He dismissed the Ibadan convention, where his suspension and other expulsions were announced, as a charade.

Security has been significantly heightened around Wadata Plaza, with armoured vehicles and additional personnel deployed to prevent possible clashes.

Meanwhile, BoT Chairman Mao Ohuabunwa, a staunch Wike ally, rejected his expulsion from the party as illegitimate and branded the Ibadan convention as inconsequential. “It is amusing for anyone to suggest that I, a founding father and chairman of the conscience of our party, was expelled at a social gathering some are calling a convention,” Ohuabunwa said, recalling his presence at PDP’s historic 1998 founding meeting in Abuja.

Ohuabunwa called on members to respect ongoing court rulings, noting that several Federal High Court decisions barring the party from holding conventions are pending at the Court of Appeal. He warned that unauthorised gatherings risk fuelling further divisions within the party.

The Ibadan convention elected Kabiru Turaki as National Chairman and Taofeek Arapaja as National Secretary. It also expelled senior figures, including Wike, suspended National Secretary Anyanwu, former National Legal Adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade, ex-Ekiti Governor Ayo Fayose, and Imo PDP Chairman Austin Nwachukwu, over alleged anti-party activities. The motion for their expulsion was moved by former Deputy National Chairman (South) Bode George, seconded by Bauchi State PDP Chairman Samaila Buga, and approved in a voice vote overseen by PDP Governors’ Forum Chairman Bala Mohammed.

Political observers say the standoff highlights widening fractures among PDP governors, executives, and stakeholders, with loyalties and control over the party’s machinery increasingly under question. With both factions vowing to hold their meetings amid tight security, the situation at Wadata Plaza today could escalate into a direct confrontation.