The deepening crisis within Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), escalated into a physical confrontation on Tuesday as top leaders and their supporters clashed over control of the party’s national secretariat. The dramatic scene saw police fire tear gas to disperse crowds, leaving the party’s future in a tense standoff.
The clash is a direct result of a power struggle between two factions. One is loyal to the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, and the other to Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde. The conflict intensified after a national convention held in Ibadan the previous Saturday, which was backed by Governor Makinde. This convention expelled Wike and several of his allies from the party and elected a new National Working Committee (NWC) led by Tanimu Turaki as National Chairman.
The Wike faction, however, rejected these actions, citing court orders that had attempted to halt the convention. Asserting their own legitimacy, the group, led by the party’s National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu, scheduled parallel meetings of the Board of Trustees and the National Executive Committee (NEC) for Tuesday at the party’s headquarters, Wadata Plaza.
Tensions boiled over on Tuesday morning as both factions arrived at the same venue for their separate meetings. The Wike-led group gained early access to the building. The situation intensified when Governors Makinde and Bala Mohammed arrived with the newly elected Chairman, Tanimu Turaki, to assert their faction’s control.
A heated argument erupted when the governors used their vehicles to block Wike’s convoy from entering the compound. “Why is he here? He entered here illegally,” an angry Governor Bala Mohammed was heard saying to the Commissioner of Police, who was appealing for calm. The commotion prompted security forces to repeatedly fire tear gas, affecting everyone at the scene, including the two governors.
After the chaos subsided, the Tanimu Turaki-led faction managed to regain access to the secretariat. Meanwhile, the Wike faction proceeded with its own NEC meeting, which announced the expulsion of key figures from the rival camp, including Governors Makinde and Bala Mohammed, as well as the new Chairman Turaki. This move signals a hardening of positions, pushing the party further toward an open split.
This violent confrontation marks one of the most severe internal battles for the PDP, raising serious questions about its stability as Nigeria’s main opposition party, especially with the 2027 general elections on the horizon.
