Turaki, Makinde, others gain entrance to PDP national secretariat as Wike faction protests

Turaki, Makinde, others gain entrance to PDP national secretariat as Wike faction protests

By Jeffrey Agbo

National chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Taminu Turaki and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde have gained entrance into the party’s national secretariat, Wadata Plaza, Abuja.

This comes after clashing with the faction loyal to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday morning.

Both factions had scheduled meetings to be held at the same venue.

The Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC) elected at Ibadan controversial national convention had scheduled its inaugural meeting with party stakeholders at 10 a.m. at the PDP national secretariat.

Also, the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led faction of NWC had summoned an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) meetings for 11a.m. and 2 p.m. respectively at the same venue.

Armed security operatives from the police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and Department of State Services (DSS), were also deployed to the secretariat.

Anti-Turaki protesters displayed placards which read “No to Turaki” and “Turaki must go”.

Speaking with journalists, suspended National Secretary of the party, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, described the security deployment at the party secretariat as routine security arrangements whenever the party was holding its BoT or NEC meeting.

“Anytime we’re having a BoT meeting or NEC meeting, we usually invite the security because of the people who are around, so they don’t embarrass our members.

“So, usually we write to all the security agencies for them to give us security to protect the office. That’s why you see the police here. It’s not the first time.

“Well, first of all, I wrote to all the security agencies on the 14th of November, 2025 that we are going to have a BoT at NEC meeting, the largest NEC meeting here.

“I wrote to INEC as well, which they have managed, and they have been on the news, and they have put it on television and newspapers.

“I’m the National Secretary of the party. My office is still running until Dec. 8. So, undoubtedly, I’m doing my function.

“I want the BoT acting chairman who is here, who have members of board of trustees, who are here, who have come for their meeting.

“You can see there’s no problem. So if we start our meeting and they come here to disrupt our meeting, they become intruders, because we’re already here.

“I don’t see anybody sensible enough to come and disrupt a meeting that’s going on. If anybody wants to meet, they can meet anywhere. It’s allowed, but we’re here,” Anyanwu said.

Reacting to his suspension from the party at the Ibadan convention, Anyanwu said that all the names mentioned were never expelled.

“On what premise are you expelling us? What platform are you using to expel us? The convention that never held?

“Every communication to INEC for any congress/ convention, I must sign it. I never communicated any letter to INEC for any convention. So, there was no convention. As a matter of fact, there was no convention anywhere.

“It’s very clear that any convention must be monitored, supervised by INEC. These things were not done,” he said.

Anyanwu also said that two-thirds of the states’ delegates were not at the convention.

“Even the 17 states they said came for that jamboree, we had people who were picked by the road sides and given PDP uniforms to occupy some state podiums,” he said.