By Luminous Jannamike, Abuja
THE National Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) remains sealed, its gates chained and guarded, days after loyalists of Senator Sam Anyanwu stormed the complex in what has now spiralled into the most consequential leadership crisis to hit the opposition since 2013.
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National Chairman, Amb. Umar Iliya Damagum, remains locked out of the party secretariat, while security agents stand watch to prevent any violence.
What began as a brief show of defiance has hardened into a deep political standoff. Within the PDP, it is no longer about access to a building but control over the future, a contest of ambition, pride, and positioning for the 2027 presidential race.
Once the unchallenged ruling party of Africa’s largest democracy, the PDP now finds itself trapped in an internal battle that exposes old wounds and new rivalries.
The Battle for Wadata
Party insiders have attributed the ongoing turmoil to a calculated power move rather than a spontaneous outburst.
According to insiders, the move by Senator Sam Anyanwu’s loyalists to storm Wadata Plaza was no coincidence. It was a calculated show of force aimed at challenging National Chairman Umar Damagum’s authority and his push to go ahead with the party’s elective national convention next weekend. The group is adamant that the convention must be put on hold until their grievances are fully addressed.
The faction has accused Damagum of incompetence and violating the party’s constitution allegations his camp has dismissed as ‘self-serving blackmail.’
In response, supporters of the embattled National Chairman have condemned the incident and urged all members to maintain peace and uphold party unity.
“What happened at Wadata Plaza was more than just an attack on a few people, it was an attempt to undermine the dignity of an institution built over decades through sacrifice, vision, and a commitment to democracy. Those behind this shameful act have only shown how little they respect order or the collective will of millions of PDP members across the country. Their behaviour is a direct attack on the very soul of the PDP and a clear violation of the party’s constitution. It is also a reckless assault on internal democracy. This must be condemned by all who believe in fairness and due process,” said Engr. Clement Faboyede, Chairman of the PDP National Ex-Officio Forum.
Behind those statements, however, are deeper layers of political manoeuvring. Damagum and Anyanwu now stand as the faces of two different camps with contrasting visions for the PDP. Since the exit of Iyorchia Ayu, Damagum has helped keep the party stable and is quietly supported by several governors and 13 of the 18 NWC members.
Anyanwu, on the other hand, is backed by politicians in the camp of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, who view this moment as a chance to reshape the PDP’s power structure and hold sway ahead of 2027.
Governors in the Shadows
The PDP Governors’ Forum, long regarded as the party’s most influential bloc, has opted for calculated silence. Yet, behind the scenes, the governors are not neutral observers.
According to a senior aide to one of the governors backing Damagum-led NWC, many are treading carefully, wary of triggering open hostilities that could fracture the party further ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
“This fight is not about today. It’s about who controls the delegates, the convention, and ultimately, the ticket for 2027. Everyone is watching and calculating,” the source told Saturday Vanguard.
The longer the impasse drags, the more the PDP risks paralysis. Important meetings have been relocated to hotels and private homes around Abuja. Staffers now come to work only to find the gates locked and security personnel stationed at every corner of the national secretariat building.
Damagum’s Dilemma and the Politics of Restraint
For Damagum, the crisis is a tightrope walk. His allies see his restraint as a mark of maturity, a refusal to throw the party into further chaos.
“We reaffirm our total allegiance to Amb. Umar Iliya Damagum. We see him as an emblem of stability, inclusiveness, and credible leadership,” Engr. Faboyede added.
Yet critics interpret his composure as hesitance, a survival strategy in a party where power is rarely surrendered without resistance.
Sources say those in Damagum’s camp are keen to avoid ‘another Ayu moment’ that could further destabilise the NWC. They fear that every decision he makes, and even every word he says, could deepen divisions and weaken the NWC as the proposed convention approaches.
The BoT’s Balancing Act
The Board of Trustees (BoT), once the moral compass of the PDP, is now struggling to keep the peace. Though it has appealed for calm, its capacity to mediate is limited.
“The Board is worried about the ongoing leadership crisis and is calling on everyone to remain calm as we work to restore normalcy,” said Senator Adolphus Wabara, Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees.
But that appeal has done little to calm nerves within the party. Many elders fear that the PDP, once known for its unity, has now broken into unhealthy rival blocs; the Wike/Anyanwu camp on one side and the Governor Seyi Makinde/Damagum camp on the other. The umbrella that once sheltered diverse views now seems to be tearing quietly along unseen seams.
The 2027 Shadow War
Beneath the surface, everyone understands what is truly at stake: 2027. Although no camp has collectively declared its preferred presidential candidate, Wike has repeatedly said he will stay in the PDP but support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election on the APC platform.
In this context, whoever controls the PDP national secretariat effectively controls the delegates, the national officers that will emerge at the convention, and ultimately, influence over the presidential ticket.
Saturday Vanguard’s findings show that the battle for Wadata Plaza goes beyond who sits in the national chairman’s seat. At its core, it is a contest for legitimacy, relevance, and control over the party’s future direction. Many fear that if the situation is not carefully handled, the crisis could harden into a long-term split and further weaken the PDP as the leading opposition.
While some insiders caution that rushing into a convention could deepen existing cracks, others argue that holding one is the only way to stop the party from completely falling apart.
Police and the Politics of Optics
For law enforcement, maintaining neutrality is a delicate balance. Officers deployed to Wadata Plaza insist their presence is to ‘prevent a breakdown of law and order.’ But party members interpret it differently.
To Damagum’s supporters, the situation feels like a state-backed siege aimed at intimidating, silencing, and weakening the opposition through sheer force. But to Anyanwu’s camp, it is a necessary protective measure to safeguard its factional chairman, Abdulrahman Muhammed.
A senior party chieftain captured the mood bluntly: “When a party that once ruled Nigeria for 16 out of 26 years of democratic rule can no longer control access to its own building, something fundamental has gone wrong, and it says a lot about our politics today,” he said.
Inside the Intrigue: The Silent Stakeholders
Behind the scenes, a network of quiet power brokers; former governors, ex-ministers and key financiers are lobbying for reconciliation. Yet, many of these efforts appear to be driven more by self-interest than loyalty, as stakeholders seek to protect their influence and relevance in the PDP’s future.
There are also widespread rumours that the ruling APC is taking advantage of the turmoil to further weaken the opposition from within. To some party insiders, the crisis now feels less like an internal dispute and more like an externally fuelled implosion aimed at breaking up Nigeria’s oldest political brand ahead of 2027.
The Waiting Game
As the weekend unfolds, neither Damagum nor Anyanwu shows signs of retreat. The secretariat remains sealed, the police unmoved, and party elders cautious. The corridors of Wadata Plaza, once bustling with aides and journalists, are now dark and silent, a metaphor for a party that seems unsure of its next move.
A Party at Crossroads
The locked gates of Wadata Plaza have come to symbolize more than just a leadership quarrel. They represent the PDP’s broader existential question: can it rebuild trust, discipline, and unity in time to mount a credible challenge in 2027?
For Damagum, it is a test of endurance; for Anyanwu, a gamble for relevance. And for Nigeria’s democracy, it is a reminder that even the mightiest political institutions can falter when ego overshadows ideology.
The PDP’s old slogan, Power to the People now hangs in the air like an unanswered question. Power remains the goal, but for now, it lies locked behind the gates of Wadata Plaza, where the battle for the party’s soul is only just beginning.
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