Tension At PDP Headquarters As Pro-Wike Faction Takes Over Secretariat After Appointing Chairman Abdulrahman

There is tension at Wadata Plaza, the national headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja, following moves by a faction loyal to Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, to take over control of the party’s national secretariat.

The Wike-backed faction on Monday announced the appointment of Muhammed Abdulrahman Mohammed as the Acting National Chairman of the party, in what appears to be a direct challenge to the authority of the Umar Damagum-led National Working Committee (NWC).

This development comes amid a deepening internal crisis that has split the main opposition party into rival camps loyal to Wike and those aligned with key party leaders opposing his growing influence.

Meanwhile, the Damagum-led NWC had earlier suspended National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and several other officials perceived to be loyal to Wike.

But in a swift retaliatory move, the Wike faction announced the suspension of Damagum and some top members of the NWC, naming Abdulrahman Mohammed as acting chairman.

Addressing journalists at the PDP’s FCT office, Abdulrahman Mohammed accused the party’s leadership of derailing from its founding vision and vowed to reposition the opposition 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,” he said.

“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.”

Mohammed said he accepted the position of acting chairman “through the mercy of God and the instrumentality of very critical stakeholders of this party,” pledging to “heal the party’s wounds, end factionalisation, and make the PDP law-abiding again.”

Shortly after the briefing, Mohammed and his supporters reportedly moved into the PDP national secretariat to address loyalists and assert control.

However, supporters of Umar Damagum also gathered at the complex, prompting security agencies to deploy heavily armed personnel to forestall a possible clash.

At least 10 Hilux vans loaded with police operatives stationed around the Wadata Plaza premises were observed as tensions continued to mount, according to Daily Trust.

The PDP crisis, which has simmered since the 2023 general elections, has now escalated into an open power struggle between the pro-Wike bloc and the mainstream party leadership, threatening to paralyse the opposition’s preparations ahead of the 2027 elections.