PDP Crisis Boils Over as Wike Faction Storms National HQ, Security Shuts Down Wadata Plaza

Tensions within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) reached a boiling point today, Monday, November 3, 2025, as rival factions clashed at the national secretariat, Wadata Plaza, prompting a heavy security deployment that ultimately sealed off the building.

The dramatic escalation came after Mohammed Abdulrahman, the PDP National Vice Chairman (North Central), arrived at the headquarters with a large crowd of loyalists to declare himself the party’s new Acting National Chairman. Abdulrahman’s move is backed by the powerful faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

The pro-Wike supporters, chanting solidarity songs, demanded the immediate resignation and vacation of the National Working Committee (NWC) led by the embattled National Chairman, Umar Damagum. In quick response, another group of supporters mobilized to the premises, insisting that Damagum remained in charge and accusing the opposing faction of attempting to destabilize the party.

The deployment of heavily armed personnel from the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) was a pre-emptive measure to separate the clashing groups. By afternoon, security operatives took a more drastic step, sealing off both the Wadata Plaza and the nearby Legacy House (the convention headquarters), effectively paralyzing operations at the party’s central command.

A Whirlwind of Suspensions

The chaos is the culmination of a political whirlwind that began over the weekend. On Saturday, the Damagum-led NWC suspended four officials, including National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, who is a known ally of Minister Wike. Hours later, Anyanwu’s faction retaliated by announcing the suspension of Damagum and five other NWC members, naming Mohammed Abdulrahman as the Acting Chairman.

This internal warfare has crippled the party’s attempts to organize its affairs ahead of the next general elections. The struggle for control over the party’s machinery intensified after a court ruling last week halted the PDP’s planned National Convention, a decision Wike openly celebrated as a “victory against impunity.”

The crisis remains unresolved, with both sides refusing to back down and the national secretariat now locked down by security forces, symbolizing the deeply entrenched division threatening the soul of Nigeria’s main opposition party.