Tension has heightened in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as two rival factions brace for a showdown today over control of the party’s National Secretariat at Wadata Plaza, Abuja.

The newly elected National Chairman, Alhaji Tanimu Turaki, SAN, has scheduled the inaugural meeting of the new National Working Committee (NWC) at the secretariat. However, the faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has also fixed an emergency meeting of the Board of Trustees (BoT) and National Executive Committee (NEC) at the same venue.

The parallel activities have raised fears of confrontation as both camps insist they remain the legitimate leadership of the party.

Turaki told reporters on Monday that the party had formally notified the FCT Police Command of its intention to reclaim and hold its inaugural NWC meeting at Wadata Plaza.

He led members of the newly elected NWC to a meeting with the FCT Commissioner of Police as part of preparations for their first official engagement since the PDP national convention in Ibadan.

“We’ve invited all our governors, National Assembly members, BoT members, state chairmen and other critical stakeholders,” Turaki said.

He dismissed notices of BoT and NEC meetings circulating on social media, saying they were issued by “expelled members” who no longer have authority within the party.

“Our National Convention has expelled these elements. They are no longer members of our party,” he declared.

Turaki said the leadership alerted the police to prevent any disruption, stressing that while the PDP seeks peace, it will defend its mandate if challenged.

“We’re going to the secretariat tomorrow at 10 a.m. Anybody sitting there without our permission is an interloper,” he said. “We will ensure peace, but we are prepared to defend ourselves and our party.”

The FCT Commissioner of Police, he added, has assured the party of adequate security.

Despite this, the Wike-aligned faction has also scheduled its own BoT and NEC meetings for today at the NEC Hall, PDP National Secretariat.

The BoT meeting is fixed for 11 a.m., while the 103rd emergency NEC meeting will hold at 2 p.m.

In a notice to members, expelled National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu insisted that attendance was crucial, saying “important matters will be discussed.”

Meanwhile, former Niger State Governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, has endorsed the expulsion of Wike, Anyanwu and others, likening it to removing a “cancerous tumour” to save the party.

He spoke during the 6th Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe Annual Award Lecture in Abuja.

Aliyu warned that Nigeria cannot afford a drift toward a one-party system, saying the country’s diversity requires a strong opposition.

“There was a time PDP had 28 governors and nobody cried foul. But today governors are being taken away through intimidation or inducement, contrary to the constitution,” he said.

Speaking in a BBC Hausa interview, Turaki said he is committed to reconciling aggrieved members but will not tolerate “saboteurs.”

“The first thing we will do is reach out to every member, those who are angry, those who feel sidelined, and those watching from the sidelines,” he said.

He noted that the PDP was ready to apologise where necessary.

“If we must kneel to plead and rebuild our democracy, we will do so.”

However, the chairman warned that reconciliation would not extend to those “who attack the party daily and insult its leaders.”

“It is impossible for three expelled members to claim they have suspended 18 members of the NWC. They have no legitimacy,” he insisted.

The leadership tussle, which peaked after the Ibadan convention where several top figures, including Wike, were expelled, has deepened divisions within the party.

Analysts warn that without urgent reconciliation, the crisis may cripple the PDP ahead of the 2027 general elections.