Police Seal PDP National Secretariat in Abuja After Violent Faction Clashes

Operatives of the Nigerian Police Force have sealed off the Peoples Democratic Party’s national secretariat in Abuja following violent clashes between two party factions.

Footage captured on Wednesday showed barbed wire blocking the main entrance at Wadata Plaza, with police and additional security personnel stationed around the complex. Reinforced metal fencing and wire mesh were also used to barricade the building, though none of the party leaders involved in the feud were present.

The confrontation erupted on Tuesday when supporters of the Nyesom Wike-aligned faction and the newly elected national working committee led by Kabiru Turaki attempted to hold separate meetings at the same venue. Turaki accused Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, of sending thugs armed with cudgels to the gate while police allegedly shielded those causing the disruption.

Samuel Anyanwu, national secretary of the Wike faction, arrived with his group for planned board of trustees and national executive committee meetings. Police struggled to manage the escalating violence and eventually used tear gas to disperse the crowds as clashes continued outside the building.

The latest unrest follows a convention in Ibadan that saw Anyanwu, Wike, Ayodele Fayose, and others removed from party positions for alleged anti-party activities. Anyanwu’s faction has rejected the sanctions as unlawful and responded by expelling Turaki, Makinde, Mohammed, and other officials. Conflicting court rulings on the convention have further deepened the party crisis.