TENSION gripped the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja on Monday as loyalists of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, stormed the Wadata Plaza and announced the takeover of the party’s leadership.
The faction announced the appointment of Muhammed Abdulrahman as the Acting National Chairman, following the suspension of key party officials loyal to Wike by the National Working Committee (NWC) under Umar Damagum.
The Damagum-led NWC had earlier suspended the party’s National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, and other officials believed to be aligned with Wike.
Responding, the Wike camp suspended Damagum and other members of the NWC, naming Abdulrahman as replacement.
Addressing journalists at the PDP’s FCT office before moving to the secretariat, Abdulrahman said his leadership would focus on healing internal divisions and restoring order to the party.
“We are all aware of the current pitiable state of our glorious party because of the actions and inactions of our leaders and members. From being the ruling party for 16 uninterrupted years to being an opposition party for over 10 years now at the national level, from being a formidable opposition to a now humbled opposition owing to the unexplainable, unconscionable defections of governors, legislators and council chairmen, et al,” Daily Trust quoted him to have said.
Abdulrahman’s supporters were also seen at the national secretariat, where they were chanting solidarity songs and demanding that the National Working Committee, led by Umar Damagum, vacate the headquarters immediately.
The protest prompted the deployment of heavily armed police officers to prevent clashes.
Report indicates that at least ten police Hilux vans were sighted around the premises as security operatives maintain order.
The current confrontation is the latest flashpoint in the PDP’s long-running leadership crisis. Tensions between Wike’s camp and the Damagum-led NWC have deepened over issues of zoning, control of party structures, and allegations of constitutional breaches.
Since the 2023 presidential election, when Wike and four other governors, popularly known as the G5, revolted against the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, the PDP has struggled to recover from internal fractures.
Wike, now serving as FCT Minister under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) government, has maintained significant influence within the PDP, particularly in the South-South region.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M