Nigeria’s main opposition party was thrown into deeper crisis on Wednesday as operatives of the Nigeria Police Force sealed the National Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party at Wadata Plaza in Abuja. The lockdown followed violent confrontations between rival factions the previous day, during which supporters exchanged blows and security forces deployed teargas to restore order.
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The unrest stems from a widening split between the faction led by Saminu Turaki, the party’s newly elected National Chairman, and supporters of Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. Tuesday’s chaos erupted when both groups converged on the secretariat for parallel meetings of the National Executive Committee and the Board of Trustees, turning routine gatherings into a battleground of accusations and physical clashes.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of confusion as heated arguments escalated into pushing and shoving, with loyalists from both camps chanting rival slogans. Police and other security personnel intervened, firing multiple canisters of teargas that dispersed the crowds and left several participants, including high-profile figures, choking and disoriented.
Among those affected were Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, both key PDP stakeholders aligned with the Turaki faction. The governors were reportedly caught in the gas cloud while attempting to address supporters, prompting immediate medical attention and sparking condemnation from party elders.
The violence followed a contentious PDP national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State, held on Saturday under the Turaki-led group. At the event, Wike and ten other prominent members, including former governors, serving lawmakers, and influential party operatives, were suspended for alleged anti-party activities. Organizers accused Wike’s bloc of plotting to destabilize the party’s structure ahead of a proposed nationwide reorganization intended to strengthen the PDP before future elections.
In a swift counteraction, the Wike-loyal faction’s NEC meeting on Tuesday ratified the expulsion of several anti-Wike figures. Those listed included Governors Makinde, Mohammed, and Zamfara State’s Dauda Lawal, former Board of Trustees Chairman Senator Adolphus Wabara, former National Vice Chairman Chief Bode George, and Turaki himself. The decision, announced amid the unrest, was described by Turaki’s allies as illegitimate and provocative, further deepening the party’s fracture.
“This is not leadership; it is sabotage,” a PDP spokesperson aligned with Turaki said anonymously due to the tense atmosphere. Wike’s camp dismissed the Ibadan convention as a kangaroo affair and vowed to challenge the suspensions in court, insisting that their actions were meant to protect the party’s integrity from usurpers.
The sealing of the secretariat, now under heavy police guard with access restricted to essential personnel, has temporarily halted operations. PDP staff have been directed to work remotely, and several critical decisions on the party’s future have been postponed. Analysts warn that the infighting could weaken the PDP’s role as a counterweight to the ruling All Progressives Congress, especially with national elections approaching.
Governor Makinde, still recovering from the teargas incident, took to social media late Tuesday to denounce the violence, stating that democracy thrives on dialogue, not division. Wike has remained publicly silent but is reportedly mobilizing allies in the National Assembly for a show of force.
As investigations into Tuesday’s clashes continue, calls for intervention from President Bola Tinubu’s administration have intensified. Interim PDP leaders have appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognize only the Turaki-led executive, while Wike’s faction threatens legal action to reclaim control.
The police action has been described as a precautionary measure to prevent further breaches of the peace.
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