The faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has taken control of the party’s national secretariat, Wadata Plaza in Abuja.
The development comes ahead of a parallel meeting reportedly planned at the same venue by another faction that held a controversial national convention in Ibadan over the weekend.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Taminu Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC), elected during the Ibadan convention, had scheduled its inaugural meeting with stakeholders for 10 a.m. at the PDP secretariat.
Meanwhile, the Abdulrahman-led NWC faction summoned an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting for 11 a.m., followed by a Board of Trustees (BoT) session at 2 p.m., also at the same location.
NAN reported that the factional National Chairman, Abdulrahman Mohammed, had already entered the secretariat building, which was previously under lock and key.
Security operatives — including personnel from the Mobile Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Department of State Services (DSS), were deployed across the secretariat. Officers were positioned at entry points, strategic locations within the premises, and along surrounding roads to prevent any breakdown of order as the rival groups asserted control.
The suspended National Secretary of the party, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, was also inside the secretariat, where accreditation was ongoing ahead of their 103rd NEC meeting. The Turaki faction, however, had yet to arrive.
Anti-Turaki protesters were seen outside the premises carrying placards with messages such as “No to Turaki” and “Turaki must go,” while dancing to music from drummers.
Speaking to journalists before the BoT meeting, Anyanwu described the heavy security presence as routine.
“Anytime we’re having a BoT meeting or NEC meeting, we usually invite the security because of the people who are around, so they don’t embarrass our members.
So, usually we write to all the security agencies for them to give us security to protect the office. That’s why you see the police here. It’s not the first time.”
He explained that he notified security agencies on November 14, 2025, about the planned meetings.
“I’m the National Secretary of the party. My office is still running until Dec. 8. So, undoubtedly, I’m doing my function.… If we start our meeting and they come here to disrupt our meeting, they become intruders, because we’re already here.”
Responding to claims of his suspension at the Ibadan convention, Anyanwu dismissed the process.
“The convention that never held? Every communication to INEC for any congress/convention, I must sign it. I never communicated any letter to INEC for any convention. So, there was no convention.… It’s very clear that any convention must be monitored and supervised by INEC. These things were not done.”
He also argued that the required delegate representation was absent.
“Even the 17 states they said came for that jamboree, we had people who were picked by the roadside and given PDP uniforms to occupy some state podiums.”
