The national headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party remained locked on Monday as the faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, delayed its planned move to take over the party’s secretariat.
The Wike-backed group attributed its absence at the PDP national secretariat, Wadata Plaza, Abuja, to what it described as ongoing administrative and security procedures by the police ahead of the facility’s reopening.
Speaking exclusively with The PUNCH, the National Publicity Secretary of the party’s National Caretaker Committee, Jungudo Mohammed, dismissed reports that the police had turned down the faction’s request to access the secretariat.
“I am not aware that the police declined our request, and I do not believe that is the case,” Mohammed said.
“The police are the appropriate authority to explain why the secretariat has not been reopened, and we cannot compel them.”
He explained that security agencies were still concluding internal processes before taking a final decision, stressing that the reopening of the secretariat was inevitable.
“The police must reopen the secretariat because they are duty-bound to obey the court order.
“The closure arose from disagreements over the party’s leadership, but that issue has already been resolved by the court,” he said.
According to him, the police were expected to allow the resumption of lawful party activities at the secretariat once their procedures were completed.
Mohammed added, “It is incorrect to say the police declined our request.
“What we know is that they intend to reopen the secretariat after concluding their internal processes.”
On the group’s next line of action should the reopening be further delayed, Mohammed said the faction would continue to engage security agencies peacefully.
“We are law-abiding leaders. We will keep engaging the police respectfully to understand the delay and address any concerns.
“We will not resort to violence or unlawful conduct,” he said.
He maintained that the matter would not degenerate into conflict, expressing confidence that the secretariat would eventually be reopened, though no specific date had been fixed.
Tension had heightened on Sunday after the Wike-backed camp and the National Working Committee led by Tanimu Turaki (SAN) traded words over the proposed reopening of the PDP headquarters.
While the Wike-aligned faction insisted it would proceed with taking over the secretariat, the Turaki-led NWC, backed by Governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State and Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State, warned that the police would be held responsible for any breakdown of law and order at the party headquarters.
On January 30, 2026, a Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan nullified the PDP national convention held on November 15, 2025, and restrained Turaki and others elected at the convention from parading themselves as national officers of the party.
Before the judgment, PDP governors had endorsed the Ibadan convention, which produced Turaki and other members of the NWC for a four-year term.
However, the Wike-backed faction had earlier constituted a 13-member caretaker committee on December 8, 2025, with Abdulrahman Mohammed as acting national chairman and Samuel Anyanwu as acting national secretary, following the expiration of former chairman Umar Damagum’s tenure.
Attempts by both factions to access Wadata Plaza on November 18, 2025, had turned violent, prompting the police to seal the PDP national secretariat, which has remained closed for nearly three months.
After a court ruling in Ibadan that favoured the Wike-backed group, the party announced plans to conduct a fresh national convention, while the Independent National Electoral Commission subsequently recognised the caretaker committee in line with the judgment.
At a meeting last week, Anyanwu had announced that the PDP national secretariat would be reopened on Monday for the use of the caretaker committee, a move strongly opposed by the Turaki-led NWC.