Tensions reached a boiling point on Monday at Wadata Plaza, the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja, when supporters of the faction loyal to National Vice Chairman (North Central), Mohammed Abdulrahman, staged a vehement protest demanding the immediate removal of the current National Working Committee (NWC) headed by Umar Damagum.
The protesters, chanting solidarity songs and waving placards, accused the Damagum-led leadership of “mismanaging party affairs” and voiced their determination to “reclaim the party’s soul” for the Abdulrahman-led faction.
“We are here to take back our party. The era of impunity and manipulation is over,” declared one passionate protester as the crowd surged outside the secretariat.
This demonstration marks the latest episode in the PDP’s escalating internal power struggle. Just last week, Abdulrahman was appointed Acting National Chairman following the suspension of the party’s National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, for one month—a move that deepened the party’s internal divisions.In response, the Anyanwu-led faction convened separately within Abuja, where they announced the suspension of Damagum and several members of the NWC, intensifying the fierce leadership tussle. Protestors from Abdulrahman’s camp vowed to reclaim control of the national secretariat and restore their preferred leadership to the helm.
Security operatives were deployed promptly to Wadata Plaza to maintain law and order amidst fears that the confrontation between the rival groups could spiral into violence. Both factions continue to jostle for control of the PDP’s headquarters as the party faces a critical period of internal crisis.
The chaotic scenes at the PDP secretariat underscore the deepening leadership crisis within Nigeria’s main opposition party, with stakes high as factions maneuver for dominance ahead of forthcoming political developments. Further updates are awaited as the situation unfolds.
This protest and the surrounding factional suspensions highlight a party sharply divided, struggling to present a unified front in the face of growing challenges.
