The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) national headquarters in Abuja, Wadata Plaza, was on Tuesday, thrown into turmoil as rival factions clashed violently on which group should possess the office.
Tear gas, gunshots, men in uniform and locked gates turned it into a battlefield, exposing the deep divisions threatening the main opposition party, and possibly Nigeria’s democracy itself.
The crisis pitted the newly elected National Working Committee (NWC) led by Taminu Turaki, SAN, against a faction loyal to Acting National Chairman Abdulrahman Mohammed, backed by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Both groups had scheduled parallel meetings, setting the stage for confrontation.
“We are willing to lay down our lives to protect our office, our democracy, and our mandate,” Turaki declared, accusing Wike of leading thugs with police support to destabilize the party.
Governors Teargassed at Wadata Plaza
At 10:45 am, Governors Bala Mohammed of Bauchi and Seyi Makinde of Oyo defied security cordon of their convoy and walked to the secretariat. They found the gates padlocked. Supporters of the rival faction blocked them, sparking chaos.
Police operatives fired tear gas and live rounds in the hope to disperse the crowd, sending journalists, party members, and political thugs scrambling for safety.
The governors eventually forced their way in, but tension escalated when Wike arrived at 11:15 am, blocking their vehicles at the gate.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Ishiaku Sharu ordered Bala Mohammed and his group to leave the premises. The governors resisted, insisting they would only leave if Wike also departed.
Expulsions And Counter‑Expulsions
Angry at the surefootedness, the pro‑Wike faction, led by National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu, announced the expulsion of Governors Makinde, Bala Mohammed, Zamfara’s Dauda Lawal, and PDP elder Chief Bode George.
They also dissolved state executive councils in Bauchi, Oyo, Zamfara, Yobe, Lagos, Edo, and Ekiti, directing caretaker committees to take charge.
A communiqué cited breaches of party rules, anti‑party activities, and disobedience to court orders. It ratified new caretaker committees and confirmed acting positions within the NWC. Salaries collected by expelled officials were ordered to be refunded.
Turaki’s faction countered by accusing Wike of using police connivance to intimidate opponents.
They had earlier at the party’s national convention in Ibadan on Saturday, expelled Wike and his allies, suspected to attempting to weaken the opposition on behalf of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“Democracy is under threat. International community, you are seeing this. Come and save us,” Turaki cried out, while speaking to pressmen in the premises of Wadata Plaza.
"I want to call on President Trump; what is at stake is not just genocide against Nigerian Christians. He should come and save democracy in Nigeria."
— Imran Muhammad (@Imranmuhdz) November 18, 2025
– PDP National Chairman, Tanimu Turaki SAN told at party HQ. pic.twitter.com/Bk9lkVmOa2
“I want to call on President Trump. What is at stake is not just genocide against Christians; he should come and save democracy in Nigeria. Democracy is under threat. I am calling all other developed nations, all advanced democracies, come and save Nigeria,” he added.
Turaki, just elected party boss on Saturday and full of fresh fire declared that his party’s leaders were prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice to defend the party’s mandate and Nigeria’s democracy.
“I have said it, we are willing to lay down our lives to protect our office, to protect democracy and to protect our mandate,” he added.
International Appeal and Wider Implications
Turaki’s dramatic call to Trump and other advanced democracies sent shock waves. It might be the first time the Trump threat to enter Nigeria “gun-a-blazing” to wipe out the terrorist, received official endorsement from the opposition.
It’s yet to be seen if President Trump heard the call, hands full with domestic challenges, and his sights set on Venezuela and President Nicholas Maduro, and the war in the Caucasus.
But analysts say the predictable clash between the two PDP factions may define the 2027 presidential election, in which President Bola Tinubu will be seeking re-election.
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