PDP crisis escalates as two rival factions fix parallel meetings at Party National Secretariat

Tension is building within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as two rival camps schedule separate meetings for Tuesday at the party’s national headquarters, Wadata Plaza in Abuja.

Earlier in the day, Samuel Anyanwu, an ally of Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory — announced an emergency session of both the national executive committee (NEC) and the board of trustees (BoT). His faction, led by chairman Abdulrahman Mohammed, fixed the BoT meeting for 11 a.m., with the NEC to follow at 2 p.m. at the same venue. The group declared that participation would be mandatory, stressing that “crucial matters” were on the agenda.

However, a parallel leadership structure that emerged from the PDP’s weekend convention in Ibadan says it has its own plans for Wadata Plaza. Kabiru Turaki, elected national chairman at the convention, insisted that his team would forge ahead with its inaugural NEC meeting on Tuesday.

Turaki, who addressed journalists shortly after filing a petition at the Nigeria Police Force headquarters on Monday, vowed to reclaim control of the party’s headquarters and exercise the authority of his office.

“We intend to have an interface with the commissioner of police of the FCT regarding the meeting that we have planned for Wadata tomorrow,” he said.

“We are going to have the inaugural national working committee (NWC) meeting of our party.

“At this meeting, we have invited all our stakeholders, our founding fathers; we have invited all our governors and members of the National Assembly, we have invited members of the Board of Trustees, our state chairmen, and other critical stakeholders.

“As law-abiding people, we have come here to tell the police that we are having our meeting tomorrow, and this will be our inaugural meeting since we left Ibadan after our election at the national elective convention.”

Turaki dismissed the rival group’s notice of meeting circulating online, saying those individuals no longer belong to the party.

“Now, we have seen flying in the social media a purported notice of BoT and NEC meeting given by people who for all intents and purposes are no longer members of this party as I am talking today.

“Next to God, the management of a political party is a national convention, and a decision taken in a national convention overrides any other decisions that have been taken by any organ of the party.

“Our national convention has taken a decision to expel these elements of the party; they are no longer members of our party, and so we have reported the moves they are making to the police, as we do not want any situation where there will be a breach of peace.”

Turaki asserted that nothing would deter his faction from taking possession of the headquarters.

“Our offices are now open; we are going there; we will have the offices open; we will get in there and begin to perform the functions for which we were elected,” he said.

“Let me reiterate again, for the avoidance of doubt, to defend our party, to defend this nascent democracy, we are prepared to lay down our lives.”

He confirmed that his faction’s NEC meeting would begin promptly at 10 a.m.

“Our meeting is at 10 a.m. tomorrow; we shall be there unfailingly, and I, as the national chairman of PDP, will be leading from the front, not from the rear,” he said.

Turaki added that police leadership had promised full security coverage for Tuesday’s activities.

“We have the assurance that they will do everything it takes to ensure there is no breakdown of law and order,” he said.

“That is our expectation from them, and we will be there hoping the police will make sure they give us all the ample protection we are entitled to under the law—and that assurance will protect us.”

The current standoff follows a turbulent weekend in which the faction led by former acting chairman Umar Damagum conducted the PDP national convention in Ibadan. That convention resulted in the expulsion of Wike, Anyanwu, former Ekiti governor Ayo Fayose, and eight others.

The list also included Umar Bature, Kamaldeen Ajibade, Mao Ohabunwa, Uwachukwu, George Turner, Dan Orbih, Abdulrahman Mohammed, Austin Nwachukwu, and Abraham Amah.

Attempts by Wike’s faction to halt the convention through the courts were unsuccessful, as the opposing camp secured an order from a high court in Oyo allowing the exercise to proceed.