By peterside Rejoice
The leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took a dramatic turn on Monday as security operatives sealed off the party’s National Secretariat at Wadata Plaza and the Legacy House in Maitama, Abuja.
Heavily armed policemen reportedly stormed the Wadata Plaza headquarters in the early hours, ordering staff and journalists to vacate the premises before locking the gates and taking positions around the complex.
Shortly after, another detachment of security personnel arrived at the Legacy House, headquarters of the party’s National Convention Organising Committee, and ordered its immediate closure, effectively paralysing activities at the two key offices of the opposition party.
The move came barely hours after Abdulrahman Mohammed assumed office as Acting National Chairman, a development that has further widened divisions within the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).
Eyewitnesses told Vanguard that the security deployment was tense and unexpected. “They told us they had instructions from above not to let anyone in or out,” said a party staff member who declined to be named.
Sources within the party disclosed that the clampdown was a pre-emptive measure to prevent possible clashes between rival factions following intelligence reports that both camps planned to occupy the secretariat simultaneously.
“There were fears of confrontation, so the police moved in to maintain peace,” a senior party official confirmed.
Mohammed’s emergence as Acting Chairman, reportedly backed by a faction loyal to a former South-South governor, has been described by his supporters as a step toward restoring order and repositioning the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
However, loyalists of the ousted leadership have condemned the action, describing it as an illegal takeover and “a brazen power grab.”
Tension heightened further in the afternoon as some PDP staff staged a walkout to protest the confusion surrounding the leadership tussle. They vowed not to resume duties until the crisis is resolved.
As of press time, both the Wadata Plaza and Legacy House remained under lock and key, with heavily armed policemen maintaining tight security around the buildings.
Meanwhile, rival factions of the party were said to be holding separate strategy meetings at undisclosed locations as efforts to douse the tension continued behind closed doors.
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