PDP Implodes: Factional Showdown at Wadata Plaza as Abdulrahman Seizes Acting Chairmanship Amid Heavy Security Blanket

By Emmanuel Kwada

In a scene straight out of a political thriller, the national headquarters of Nigeria’s main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at Wadata Plaza transformed into a fortress this morning, ringed by a phalanx of heavily armed security operatives as a fresh faction staked its claim to the party’s helm.

At the center of the storm: Alhaji Mohammed Abdulrahman, the PDP’s North Central Vice Chairman, who boldly resumed duties as the party’s acting national chairman, declaring the era of the ousted Umar Iliya Damagum firmly in the rearview mirror.

The air was thick with tension from the early hours, as supporters of the Abdulrahman-led group – many waving party flags and chanting anti-Damagum slogans – converged on the iconic building.

“No more undertakers burying our party!” one protester shouted, echoing sentiments that have simmered since the weekend’s explosive cross-suspensions. Security forces, including mobile policemen and plainclothes officers, formed a human barricade around the entrances, turning away curious onlookers and ensuring the standoff didn’t spill into outright chaos.

By midday, reports emerged that Abdulrahman’s loyalists had effectively taken control of key offices inside, including the national chairman’s suite.

Notably absent from the fray were Damagum himself and his close allies, including the combative National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba. Sources close to the Damagum camp say they opted for discretion over confrontation, holding a low-key strategy session elsewhere in the capital to plot their next move.

“This isn’t over,” one insider whispered to reporters, hinting at legal salvos already in the works. Ologunagba, reached by phone, issued a terse statement dismissing the takeover as “a theatrical farce by desperate elements,” vowing that the “legitimate NWC remains intact and operational.”

The roots of this latest PDP earthquake trace back to Saturday’s dizzying volley of suspensions, which felt more like a game of musical chairs gone wrong.

It started when the Damagum-led National Working Committee (NWC) booted out National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu – a known ally of Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike – along with the party’s legal adviser and others, citing “anti-party activities.”

Not one to take a hit lying down, Anyanwu’s counter-faction fired back hours later, suspending Damagum and five top lieutenants on charges of incompetence, financial impropriety, and ignoring court rulings.

In their place? Enter Abdulrahman, the Sadaunan Takushara from Niger State, elevated to acting chair with a mandate to “restore order and unity.”

Speaking to a scrum of journalists from the chairman’s office – a symbolic power play if ever there was one – Abdulrahman struck a conciliatory tone beneath the bravado.

“We’re not here to divide; we’re here to heal,” he said, his voice steady despite the din of chants outside. “The PDP is bigger than any individual or clique. My focus will be on reconciling our members, rebuilding trust, and positioning us to reclaim our place as Nigeria’s true voice of the people ahead of future elections.”

He pledged immediate outreach to aggrieved stakeholders, including those in the Wike and Atiku Abubakar camps, whose lingering feud has hobbled the party since the 2023 polls.

The drama has drawn swift reactions from PDP heavyweights. Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, never one to mince words, hailed Abdulrahman’s rise as a “lifeline” for a party he branded “on life support.”

“Damagum and his crew were undertakers, come to bury the PDP,” Fayose thundered in a Sunday briefing. “But Abdulrahman? He might just be the doctor we need to turn this around.” Similarly, ex-Benue Governor Samuel Ortom congratulated the new acting chair but laid the blame squarely at Damagum’s feet for failing to bridge internal rifts.

“This suspension was avoidable,” Ortom said in a statement. “Now, let’s use this moment to heal, not hemorrhage further.”

Yet, beneath the rhetoric, the stakes couldn’t be higher. With a national convention looming in Ibadan – already clouded by a recent court injunction over invalid state congresses – this factional free-for-all risks paralyzing the PDP at a time when Nigerians are desperate for a robust opposition to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Analysts warn that prolonged infighting could erode the party’s voter base, especially in the battleground North Central zone, Abdulrahman’s home turf. “The PDP isn’t just fighting itself; it’s fighting for relevance,” said political commentator Dr. Fatima Bello. “If Abdulrahman can’t unify these camps fast, the 2027 elections might see the party sidelined entirely.”

As the sun set over Wadata Plaza, the security cordon held firm, but the questions lingered: Will courts intervene to crown a victor? Can Abdulrahman broker peace with the Damagum holdouts? And in a party born from Nigeria’s democratic rebirth, how much more self-inflicted damage can it withstand before the cracks become chasms?