PDP HQ remains locked as Wike camp delays planned takeover

The national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party, Wadata Plaza, remained under police lock and key on Monday despite earlier assurances from the Nyesom Wike-backed faction that it would resume operations there.

Spokesperson of the National Caretaker Committee, Jungudo Mohammed, said the faction’s absence from the Abuja headquarters was not due to any refusal by the police to grant access, but to what he described as “ongoing administrative and security processes” around the reopening.

Mohammed dismissed reports that the police had turned down a request from the Wike camp to enter the building, insisting that only the security agencies could explain the continued closure.

“I am not aware that the police declined our request, and I do not believe that is true. They are still carrying out their administrative and security processes before taking final action. However, we are certain that the secretariat will be reopened,” he said.

He argued that the police were bound to comply with a court order that recognised the Wike-aligned caretaker committee and effectively voided the mandate of the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee.

“The closure resulted from disagreements within the party over who constitutes the genuine leadership, but that matter has already been settled by the court. The police must open the secretariat because they are required to comply with the court order,” Mohammed added.

Pressed on what the faction would do if the police failed to reopen the complex, he maintained that the group would avoid confrontation, stressing that they would “continue to engage the police respectfully” and would not resort to violence or unlawful actions.

The standoff follows a Federal High Court judgment in Ibadan that nullified the PDP national convention which produced Turaki and his NWC, barring them from parading themselves as national officers. The ruling strengthened the hand of the Wike camp, which had earlier set up a 13-member caretaker committee headed by Abdulrahman Mohammed with a 60-day mandate.

Both factions had previously attempted to use Wadata Plaza, a move that degenerated into violence and prompted the police to seal the premises. Since then, the building has become the physical symbol of the struggle for control of the opposition party.

Although the Wike camp had publicly announced that the headquarters would reopen for its use on Monday, the locked gates and continued police presence underscored how unresolved security and political calculations are still delaying the long-promised takeover.