• Insists It Has Court’s Backing
• They Cannot Resort To Self-help Until Judgment Is Delivered – Turaki-led Faction
• Tension In Oyo As Gbolarumi Accuses Makinde Of Witch-Hunting Wike’s Loyalists

As the Abdulrahman Mohammed–led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) intensifies preparations for its forthcoming Abuja National Convention, fresh controversy has erupted over plans to reopen the party’s national secretariat, Wadata Plaza, Abuja, amid subsisting court cases and rival claims of authority.

This came as a former deputy governor of Oyo State, Hazeem Gbolarumi, has accused Governor Seyi Makinde of witch-hunting members of the party in the state perceived to be loyal to the Mohammed-led faction.

The Mohammed–led National Caretaker Committee (NCC) had on Thursday announced that the sealed secretariat would be reopened on Monday, dismissing claims that legal impediments remain against resuming activities at the party’s headquarters.

The declaration followed the party’s participation in the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) quarterly consultative meeting with leaders of political parties in Abuja, where the faction represented the PDP.

Speaking after the INEC meeting, Acting National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, recalled that the secretariat was sealed by the police on November 19, 2025, following clashes between rival party groups, but said attempts by the opposing faction to compel its reopening through the courts had failed.

“We wrote to the police. The other group went to court to ask that the place be opened. The matter was dismissed because they had no locus. So by Monday, we are taking over the office,” he said.

However, the announcement has drawn a sharp pushback from the Kabiru Turaki-led faction of the party, which insisted that the national secretariat remains a subject of pending litigation and warned against what it described as a resort to self-help.

In a statement, the Turaki-led PDP National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, said the party had received intelligence indicating plans by “expelled members” to forcibly access and occupy the national secretariat, allegedly in connivance with security agencies.

Ememobong disclosed that the party had written to the Inspector General of Police as well as the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, reminding them that the secretariat is still res before the Federal High Court, Abuja, and the Court of Appeal.

According to him, any attempt to grant access to the property while the matter remains before the courts would amount to contempt and undermine the authority of the judiciary.

“The case pending before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik was instituted by the expelled members themselves. They cannot resort to self-help until judgment is delivered,” the statement said, warning that the party would deploy all legal means to protect its property from trespass.

But in a swift rebuttal, a group, which described itself as Concerned Stakeholders of the PDP, dismissed the statement as alarmist and lacking legal foundation, arguing that no individual or faction possesses the authority to interpret court processes for the entire party.

The stakeholders contended that multiple suits and appeals subsist over the PDP leadership crisis and accused the opposing camp of selectively elevating litigation that favours its interests.

They maintained that the PDP, as a national political institution with an impending convention less than two months away, cannot afford a prolonged administrative shutdown of its headquarters.

“If relevant statutory authorities and security agencies, acting within the law, allow access to the national secretariat for legitimate party activities, such a decision is not subject to the veto of any self-styled faction,” the statement said.

Golarumi’s accusation against Governor Makinde came against the backdrop of the sack of three officials in Ibadan North Local Council of the state.

The affected officials are Assistant Secretary II, Olaniyi Stephen; Supervisory Councillor for Ward 1, Sakiru Oladele; and Supervisory Councillor for Ward 12, Latifat Latifu, who were all removed by the council chairman, Oluwaseun Olufade.

Gbolarumi described the action as politically motivated, alleging that the officials were targeted because of their perceived loyalty to him and to the faction of the party aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

He claimed the sackings were part of a broader purge of his supporters across the state.

Gbolarumi, who has indicated interest in contesting the 2027 governorship election on the Wike-backed PDP platform, said the development reflects the deepening internal rift between the Makinde bloc and the Wike bloc within the party.

“The question is simple: Are these people or appointees not part of the governor’s success? Are they not PDP members? Is Wike not a PDP leader? They have no genuine reasons to justify their termination. We will soon be vindicated. However, we expected this because we know their antics.”

However, Olufade has denied any political motive, insisting that the officials were sacked as part of efforts to strengthen administrative efficiency and improve grassroots governance.

He said the restructuring was part of ongoing efforts to enhance productivity, discipline and service delivery in Ibadan North.

The council chairman said he has approved immediate replacements for the affected positions to ensure continuity of governance.