The National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Ini Emomobong, has assured party members that the PDP national secretariat currently sealed by the Nigeria Police Force will reopen in the coming weeks.
Wadata Plaza, the party’s national headquarters, was shut after violent clashes between two rival factions claiming legitimate control of the party’s leadership.
One bloc is led by Tanimu Turaki, with the support of Governors Bala Mohammed and Seyi Makinde, while the other is aligned with the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and led by the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu.
Since the police closure, both factions have been holding parallel meetings at separate venues, including the Bauchi State Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro and Anyanwu’s private office in Wuye.
Emomobong told The PUNCH on Monday that significant progress had been made in resolving the dispute.
“Steps have been taken to ensure the party secretariat resumes normal administrative activities. These steps are not for public disclosure, but we assure Nigerians that the PDP remains united,” he said.
However, a leading figure in the Wike camp, Umar Bature recently expelled and formerly the National Organising Secretary dismissed claims of any imminent reopening.
“There’s nothing I’m aware of for now,” he said.
The acting National Youth Leader of the Wike-aligned faction, Timothy Osadolor, cautioned the media against recognising the November 15–16 Ibadan convention, insisting it was illegal.
He said, “The Turaki-led group is a product of illegality. Two court judgments have not been vacated, and it is wrong to describe the outcome of the Ibadan gathering as PDP leadership.”
Osadolor criticised Turaki, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, for participating in what he called “a breach of the law,” adding that the actions of the Turaki faction amounted to “desecrating Wadata Plaza.”
He said the Wike group remained open to reconciliation, but only if the rival camp first acknowledged the Ibadan convention as invalid.
“We are ready to work together, but they must declare the Ibadan exercise null and void,” he said.
According to him, Abdulrahman Mohammed remains the party’s National Acting Chairman until December 9, 2025, after which a caretaker committee is expected to be appointed ahead of a full convention in early 2026.
In Jigawa State, a forum of former local government chairmen has pledged support for former governor Sule Lamido, urging him to consider seeking a new political platform in light of the PDP’s internal divisions.
The group met on November 18, 2025, in Dutse, where they condemned what they described as the national leadership’s “disrespectful handling” of Lamido, particularly denying him the opportunity to contest for national chairman.
Reading the group’s communiqué, chairman Ali Diginsa said the PDP had weakened due to persistent factional battles and mistrust.
“The party is no longer a strong national force,” he said.
The stakeholders authorised Lamido to chart a new political direction, praising his decades of political experience from his PRP youth activism to his service in the House of Representatives in 1979, and later, his role in the 1992 election that produced MKO Abiola.
Describing him as a symbol of loyalty and resilience, Diginsa said, “He remains the last G9 and G18 member who never abandoned the PDP, even during Buhari’s northern political dominance.”
Seventeen former local government chairmen signed the communiqué, signalling a potential major realignment in Jigawa’s political landscape. Analysts warn that unless the PDP resolves its internal crises, it risks losing ground in the state ahead of future elections.
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