The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took a dramatic turn on Monday when the Acting National Chairman of the Senator Samuel Anyanwu-led faction, Abdulrahman Mohammed, stormed the party’s national secretariat, Wadata Plaza, Abuja, to assume control of the party’s operations.
The latest drama is the culmination of a prolonged leadership crisis within the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC), which has split the opposition party into two rival factions, one led by the Deputy National Chairman (North), Ambassador Umar Damagum, and the other by the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu.
The feud deepened last week when the Damagum-led faction announced the suspension of Anyanwu, National Legal Adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade, and other members of the NWC for 30 days over alleged anti-party activities.
Barely hours later, the Anyanwu-led group countered, declaring the suspension illegal and announcing the suspension of Damagum and his loyalists instead.
Both sides have since held parallel meetings, issued conflicting statements, and laid claim to the party’s leadership. Party insiders say the crisis is fueled by an intense power struggle ahead of the 2027 elections, with key figures, including Governors Nyesom Wike and Seyi Makinde, alleged to be backing opposing sides.
Mohammed, accompanied by supporters, arrived at the secretariat around 11 a.m. and proceeded to the office of the National Chairman, where he addressed journalists after being received by Senator Anyanwu.
He was later taken round the secretariat by the embattled National Secretary before settling into the chairman’s office.
The factional chairman declared that his mission was to restore unity within the opposition party and reposition it ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“Today is another good day for the PDP family across Nigeria. You can see that everyone is happy to have a new leadership in the PDP.
“I am here as the Acting National Chairman of our great party, and by the grace of God, under my leadership, I will do everything possible to bring everyone together under one umbrella. PDP is beyond one individual. We will work as a team to ensure a smooth process that will lead to a successful outing in 2027,” Mohammed said.
He pledged to engage stakeholders across the country to heal divisions within the party and restore the confidence of its members and supporters.
“We will liaise with everyone, hear from them, and receive their guidance to make PDP one united family again. By the grace of God, we will sustain our slogan — power to the people — because power belongs to the people. We are confident that we will reclaim power in 2027,” he added.
Responding to questions on how the party intends to unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) amid internal crises and pending congresses, Mohammed said his faction was guided by the party’s constitution.
“We are assuring Nigerians that by 2027, power will return to the PDP. We are currently reviewing our constitution to ensure that all organs of the party function effectively. We will normalize structures across the 36 states and the FCT to guarantee a smooth internal process,” he explained.
Despite the turmoil, Abdulrahman Mohammed expressed optimism that his emergence would mark a turning point.
“We are determined to rebuild the PDP as a credible opposition. We will not allow internal conflicts to distract us from our goal of reclaiming power and delivering better governance to Nigerians,” he said.
Earlier in the day, tension engulfed the PDP secretariat when a group of staff members, reportedly aided by external forces, attempted to forcibly evict Senator Anyanwu from his office on the third floor.
Eyewitnesses said the group tried to break into the National Secretary’s office but met stiff resistance from policemen stationed at the secretariat, who fired tear gas and used minimal force to disperse them.
To prevent a total breakdown of law and order, security operatives subsequently ordered all staff, journalists, and visitors to vacate the premises before locking the main entrance.
As of press time, security remained tight around the PDP secretariat, while both factions continued to claim control of the party’s national leadership.
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