The internal crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has escalated as the faction led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN) approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking an order to compel the police to unseal the party’s national secretariat and offices nationwide.
In a Motion on Notice filed through senior lawyer Chris Uche (SAN), the Turaki-led group asked the court to direct the Inspector-General of Police and the Nigeria Police Force to immediately remove barricades, vacate the premises, and restore full access to the PDP headquarters in Abuja.
The party’s Wadata Plaza secretariat was sealed in November 2025 after violent clashes erupted between two rival PDP factions — one loyal to Turaki and another aligned with Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike.
Security forces intervened after both factions scheduled parallel meetings at the same venue, firing tear gas before sealing the complex with barbed wire.
According to court filings, the lockdown has prevented the Turaki-led National Working Committee from holding its inaugural meeting following his emergence as PDP national chairman at the party’s controversial Ibadan convention.
The Wike-aligned faction has since rejected the convention, citing earlier court orders restraining the PDP from holding the exercise.
While Abuja courts had barred the convention, a separate Ibadan High Court ex parte order later allowed it to proceed.
At the Ibadan gathering, the PDP announced the expulsion of Nyesom Wike, national secretary Samuel Anyanwu, and several others over alleged anti-party activities.
In the fresh suit, Turaki, alongside Board of Trustees Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, is asking the court to restrain the police from sealing or occupying PDP offices in any of Nigeria’s 36 states.
An affidavit deposed by PDP national secretary Taofik Arapaja alleged that police officers fired over 200 tear gas canisters at the secretariat on November 18, sealing the premises without a valid court order and denying access to party officials and visiting governors.
The PDP argues that the continued occupation of its offices is crippling party administration, policy coordination, and election preparations, warning that the police must remain neutral under the Nigeria Police Act 2020.
The party urged the court to intervene urgently, insisting that monetary damages would not remedy the disruption caused by the prolonged closure.
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This report is based on public statements and official responses available at the time of publication. CDA News Nigeria will update the story as new developments emerge.
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