Police move to prevent clash at Abuja PDP secretariat

The Federal Capital Territory Police Command is set to deploy personnel to prevent a possible clash between rival factions of the Peoples Democratic Party ahead of Monday’s planned reopening of the party’s national secretariat by the caretaker committee backed by the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike.

Senior police officers at the command told Sunday PUNCH that, though the command had not been officially briefed about the reopening plan, it would deploy men to forestall any breakdown of law and order.

Tension has been building within the party following moves by the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led caretaker committee to reopen the sealed Wadata Plaza national secretariat in Abuja for activities on Monday.

The secretariat was sealed by the police on November 19, 2025, following a violent clash between the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee and the Mohammed-led caretaker committee.

The Acting National Secretary of the caretaker committee, Samuel Anyanwu, on Thursday disclosed that the secretariat would be reopened on Monday, dismissing claims of legal impediments against resuming activities at the party’s headquarters.

Speaking in an interview with Sunday PUNCH, the National Publicity Secretary of the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee, Ini Ememobong, dismissed Anyanwu’s claims to the leadership of the party.

He insisted that Anyanwu and others remained expelled from the party.

“They are living in fool’s paradise. The worst form of deceit is self-deceit, where the person knows he is deceiving himself yet continues with gusto. That is what is playing out here because those expelled members of our party know that they cannot organise any valid meeting, let alone a convention.

“Even INEC, which they claim has recognised them, has denied them. They are indulging in a roller coaster of self-deceit,” Ememobong said.

He added that the party had written to the Inspector-General of Police and the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, reminding them that the secretariat is still under legal dispute before the Federal High Court, Abuja, and the Court of Appeal.

“To this end, any attempt to enter and occupy this property will be a resort to self-help and an affront to the time-tested principle of law. In this particular instance, the case pending before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik was instituted by the expelled members. They cannot resort to self-help until judgment is delivered in the matter,” he said.

Ememobong warned the police against reopening the secretariat for the Mohammed-led faction, saying any action taken to grant access to anybody pending the determination of the suit would be a contempt of court.

Meanwhile, Sunday PUNCH gathered from police officers at the FCT command that personnel would be deployed to the secretariat and other strategic locations to prevent violence and maintain public safety ahead of the reopening.

A senior police officer in the command, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, said: “The command would not stand by and allow a breakdown of peace and order by the party or anyone else.

“Definitely, the police will have to be on the ground to prevent a breakdown of law and order.”

Another police officer also confirmed the planned deployment.

“Remember the last time, there was unrest in the general area which required our intervention to restore order. There will definitely be men present at the secretariat, but I can’t say the number of police officers that would be deployed there,” he said.

But when contacted, the FCT spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, said she was yet to be briefed about the planned reopening of the party secretariat and declined to comment further on the matter.

Reminded that the police sealed the secretariat, she said “yes” but declined to respond on whether there would be police deployment to the secretariat.