The tension ravaging the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seems not to end soon as drama unfolded at its 103 national secretariat located in Abuja on Tuesday at an emergency meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) for Tuesday, called by the faction of the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, over the deepening party’s internal crisis.
Drama ensued as Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State fought for control of the party’s headquarters while Wike-aligned faction of the party flooded the streets surrounding Wadata Plaza.
The demonstrators, primarily women and youth groups, arrived early in the morning carrying placards bearing messages aimed squarely at the newly elected factional National Chairman, Tanimu Turaki.
Some of the inscriptions read “No to Turaki” and “Turaki must go”, reflecting their rejection of the outcome of Saturday’s convention, which Turaki won but which the Wike-led faction boycotted.
Turaki, a former minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, was declared national chairman in an exercise that his opponents have since described as disputed and invalid.
Both the Turaki and Wike factions had earlier announced plans to hold separate executive meetings at the secretariat on Tuesday, raising concerns of a possible confrontation.
The clash left party staff and visitors fleeing for safety amid thick clouds of smoke and deafening explosions.
The immediate trigger was a dispute over who occupies the office of National Secretary. Governor Makinde arrived at the secretariat with Senator Taofeek Arapaja, recently elected National Secretary at a controversial factional convention.
In defiance, Wike maintained his presence with Senator Samuel Anyanwu, the incumbent National Secretary, who insists his tenure, extended by a court order, remains valid until 8 December 2025.
However, the heavy police presence created a tense atmosphere, with officers stationed at strategic points to prevent clashes or unauthorised entry into the building.
Meanwhile, the Publicity Secretary elected at the Ibadan convention of the party, Ini Ememobong Essien, criticised the police for dispersing party officials and journalists with tear gas at its secretariat in Abuja.
Speaking to reporters, Essien issued a direct appeal to President Bola Tinubu, urging him to rein Wike, whom he accused of fuelling internal tensions and destabilising the opposition party.
According to Essien, the confrontation began when police officers fired tear gas at party members, journalists, and even serving governors who had gathered at the secretariat for a scheduled engagement.
He expressed shock at the level of force used, noting that the police had been briefed about the party’s concerns in a meeting between the PDP national chairman and the FCT Commissioner of Police only a day earlier.
Essien alleged that security operatives had allowed entry to individuals expelled from the PDP while blocking access to legitimate members, including two governors and the national chairman himself.
“You have been tear-gassed. All of us know the truth,” he told journalists.
“Today, some governors have been tear-gassed — for what reason? Yesterday, the chairman of our party met with the Commissioner of Police, and we clearly stated the issues. But this morning, they aided and abetted the entry of people who had been expelled from the party and then prevented the original owners of the party from coming in.”
Earlier on Saturday at the national convention in Ibadan, the PDP had taken disciplinary action by expelling several high-profile members, including Wike; former PDP National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu; Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Kamaldeen Ajibade; former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose; and Hon. Austin Nwachukwu, among others.
The decision, which was adopted by an overwhelming majority of accredited delegates, marks one of the most decisive internal sanctions in the party’s recent history.
Party leaders described the move as necessary to “restore unity, discipline, and organisational focus” ahead of the 2027 general elections, following prolonged internal disputes and accusations of anti-party activities levelled against the affected members.
Party dissolves chapter in five states
The party had previously dissolved its party structures in five states—Imo, Abia, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers—following a resolution adopted at its national convention last Saturday.
The decision was introduced via a motion moved by Makinde while Daniel Okechukwu, the National Auditor and a member of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC), seconded the motion.
Makinde stated that the dissolution affects party organs at all levels in the affected states—ward, local government, and state.
“In the case of Imo, Abia, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers, the convention hereby dissolves all party structures at the ward, local government, and state levels,” he declared.
According to Makinde, the dissolution followed an extensive review of the party’s congresses held across the nation between 2024 and 2025. These congresses produced executives at the ward, local government, state, and zonal levels, as well as national ex officio members.
Wike faction retaliates, expels Makinde, Mohammed, others
At the 103rd meeting of the PDP’s NEC shortly after the mayhem between the Wike and Makinde factions, the FCT’s minister faction approved the removal of three governors over alleged anti-party activities.
Those dismissed include Seyi Makinde, Bala Mohammed; and Zamfara state governor, Dauda Lawal.
Others include former chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT); Adolphus Wabara; former minister Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, deputy national chairman (south); Taofeek Arapaja, and other prominent members of the PDP.
Makinde reacts
In his reaction, Makinde noted that approach of Wike, a former Rivers State governor, threatens Nigeria’s multi-party democratic framework.
He added the dispute goes beyond party politics, framing it as a fight for the future of Nigerian democracy.
“This is not about PDP alone; it is about the future of democracy in Nigeria,” Makinde said. “We should know that it gets worse before it gets better. And if we have to stay here for the next two weeks so that democracy will survive, you will see us here.”
Asked about the root of the disagreement with Wike, a former ally and fellow member of the G5 ahead of the 2023 general elections, Makinde clarified that the issue is principled rather than personal.
“Well, small minds talk about people. Average minds talk about events. We will rather talk about issues. What’s the issue? The issue is we don’t believe in a one-party Nigeria. We believe that our Founding Fathers gave us a multi-party democracy,” he explained.
Makinde emphasised that sustaining a multi-party system ensures Nigerians have meaningful choices when selecting leaders. “We must sustain it so that Nigerians can have options when they are choosing their leaders. That is the issue. I don’t want to talk about individuals, and I don’t want to talk about events,” he added.
The governor also offered a message of optimism to PDP members and Nigerians, urging them to maintain hope amid the ongoing party crisis.
PDP chair Turaki shifts NWC meeting indefinitely
The party chairman, Kabiru Turaki, on Tuesday announced the indefinite postponement of a scheduled NWC meeting following the violent clash at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
Addressing journalists shortly after chaos erupted between factions loyal to Wike, Makinde and Mohammed, Turaki described the incident as the handiwork of “enemies of progress and democracy.”
“However, due to some incidents that occurred today orchestrated by those people who are enemies of the progress of democracy, we have decided that this meeting be postponed till tomorrow, Wednesday 19th November 2025,” he said.
The postponed NWC gathering had been widely expected to address the deepening leadership crisis, particularly the contentious occupation of the National Secretary’s office by rival claimants Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Senator Taofeek Arapaja.
Turaki used the occasion to reaffirm the PDP’s determination to return to power in 2027, insisting that the party remained united despite the public spectacle of disarray.
“We in the PDP are peace-loving people. We want peace to reign, and because of that, we will take over governance in this country in 2027,” he declared, adding that the party was fully prepared for the task ahead.
The chairman issued an impassioned appeal to Nigerians, framing the internal crisis as part of a broader threat to the nation’s democracy.
“I want to call on all Nigerians: there is a serious threat to the democracy of this country that, if not urgently addressed, will mark the end of this country as we know it,” Turaki warned.
APC blasts Turaki’s foreign invasion approach
Meanwhile, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has issued a scathing press statement strongly denouncing a call by the newly installed factional Chairman of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Tanimu Turaki, for foreign powers to intervene militarily in Nigeria.
In a statement signed by the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, the ruling party described Turaki’s remarks as “reckless and unpatriotic,” accusing him of actively seeking “destructive intervention of foreign powers on Nigerian soil” to advance a “sinister political agenda.”
The controversy erupted after Turaki, while addressing journalists on the deepening leadership crisis within the PDP, reportedly urged international forces to step in to “save the country from alleged Christian genocide” and to “protect democracy.”
The APC characterised the statement as the desperate act of a leader unable to resolve his party’s internal contradictions.
“Nigerians expected that Turaki would set himself on an urgent peace-building mission to bring his party’s warring factions together,” the statement read.
“Instead, Turaki’s first official act as factional chairman was his call for foreign invasion of Nigeria as a solution to the self-inflicted internal crisis of his PDP. That is as shameless as it is a dangerous threat to national security and sovereignty.”
The APC further noted that throughout the PDP’s 16 years in power, marked by what it called the “ruthless subversion” of opposition parties, no PDP leader ever contemplated inviting foreign troops to resolve domestic political disputes.
It labelled Turaki’s outburst “a final certification of the PDP’s demise.”
