Crisis deepens as Wike camp seizes PDP headquarters, declares new leadership

The internal crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took a dramatic turn on Monday as loyalists of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, took control of the party’s national secretariat, Wadata Plaza, in Abuja.

The faction announced Muhammed Abdulrahman as the new acting national chairman, effectively challenging the authority of Umar Damagum, who has been leading the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).

The move followed weeks of escalating tension between the two factions. The Damagum-led leadership had suspended Samuel Anyanwu, the party’s national secretary, and other Wike allies. In a swift response, the Wike camp announced the suspension of Damagum and several NWC members before appointing Abdulrahman to lead the party in an acting capacity.

Addressing journalists at the PDP’s FCT office before proceeding to Wadata Plaza, Abdulrahman said his mission was to restore sanity, unity, and discipline to the party.

“We are all aware of the pitiable state of our once glorious party, brought about by the actions and inactions of our leaders and members,” he said.

“From being the ruling party for 16 uninterrupted years to an opposition for over a decade, our fortunes have declined. I have accepted to serve as acting national chairman through the instrumentality of critical stakeholders to heal the party and reposition it for victory.”

Abdulrahman and his supporters later moved to the national secretariat, where he held a brief meeting with Samuel Anyanwu and other Wike-aligned officials inside the complex.

Security was, however, tightened around the building as supporters of Damagum also arrived. At least 10 police patrol vans were deployed to the area to forestall any outbreak of violence.

By midday, Abdulrahman’s group had taken control of the secretariat and held its first meeting there.

The PDP, once Nigeria’s dominant political party, has been struggling with internal division since its loss of power in 2015. The latest confrontation between the Wike and Atiku Abubakar camps signals a deepening split that could further weaken the opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Political observers say the party’s survival now depends on whether both factions can agree on a political truce before the next meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC), which is expected to address the leadership crisis.