The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) reached a breaking point on Monday as loyalists of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, took control of the party’s national secretariat, Wadata Plaza, in Abuja, and installed Muhammed Abdulrahman as acting national chairman.
The move came amid deepening division between the Wike camp and the faction loyal to the acting national chairman, Umar Damagum. The Damagum-led National Working Committee (NWC) had earlier suspended Samuel Anyanwu, the party’s national secretary, and several Wike allies. In retaliation, the Wike group announced the suspension of Damagum and some NWC members, declaring Abdulrahman as the new helmsman.
Speaking to reporters at the PDP’s FCT office before proceeding to the party headquarters, Abdulrahman said he had accepted the challenge of restoring the party’s lost glory and unity.
“We are all aware of the pitiable state of our once glorious party. From being in power for 16 uninterrupted years to languishing in opposition for over a decade, our decline has been caused by avoidable missteps,” he said.
“I have accepted to become acting national chairman through the mercy of God and the instrumentality of critical stakeholders. My focus is to heal the wounds, reconcile aggrieved members and reposition the PDP for the task ahead.”
Shortly after his address, Abdulrahman and his supporters stormed the PDP headquarters, where he held a brief meeting with Samuel Anyanwu and other loyalists.
Supporters of the Damagum faction also arrived at the secretariat, prompting the deployment of at least 10 police patrol vans to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
By afternoon, Abdulrahman’s group had effectively taken over the building and held its first leadership meeting there.
The renewed confrontation between the two factions signals the PDP’s worsening internal rift. Once Nigeria’s ruling party for 16 years, the opposition is now battling to stay afloat ahead of the 2027 elections, with analysts warning that continued infighting could spell doom for its future as a national political force.
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