Political Firestorm! PDP Faction Sues IGP Over Sealed Party Secretariat

The faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Kabiru Turaki (SAN) has filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking an order compelling the Inspector-General of Police and the Nigeria Police Force to immediately unseal and vacate the party’s national secretariat and other PDP offices across the country.

The request is contained in a Motion on Notice filed by the plaintiffs through their lead counsel, Chief Chris Uche (SAN), in which they are asking the court to issue a mandatory injunction directing the police to remove all barricades, unseal the premises and withdraw from the PDP national headquarters in Abuja.

The PDP national secretariat was sealed in November following violent clashes between two rival party factions—one led by Turaki and the other aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

The confrontation reportedly arose after both factions fixed meetings at the party’s headquarters on the same day. Police intervened by dispersing party members with tear gas, after which the premises were locked and barricaded with barbed wire.

As a result, the Turaki-led National Working Committee was unable to hold its postponed inaugural meeting.

Turaki emerged as the party’s national chairman at a PDP national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, in November. However, the Wike-aligned faction rejected the convention, arguing that it violated existing court orders restraining the party from conducting the exercise.

Earlier, Justices James Omotosho and Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja had issued orders restraining the PDP from holding its national convention scheduled for November 15 and 16, 2025. Conversely, a High Court in Ibadan later granted the party permission to proceed with the convention through an ex parte order.

In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/252/2025, filed by the PDP alongside Turaki and the party’s Board of Trustees Chairman, Adolphus Wabara, the plaintiffs are also seeking an order restraining the police from invading, sealing or restricting access to any PDP office across the 36 states of the federation.

Specifically, they are praying the court for an order directing the defendants to immediately remove all barricades, unseal and vacate the PDP national secretariat at Wadata Plaza, Plot 1970 Michael Okpara Way, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja, as well as its annex, Legacy House, located at Plot 2774 Shehu Shagari Way, Maitama, Abuja, pending the determination of the suit.

In an affidavit in support of the application, sworn to by the PDP National Secretary, Taofik Arapaja, the party alleged that the police invaded and sealed its offices on November 18, 2025, without any lawful justification.

Arapaja stated that the PDP had only notified security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services, of an emergency stakeholders’ meeting and had requested security presence.

He claimed that instead of providing protection, police officers led by the Commissioner of Police in the Federal Capital Territory allegedly fired over 200 tear gas canisters and sealed the premises, denying access to party officials, staff and visiting governors, including those of Bauchi and Oyo states.

The plaintiffs argued that the continued closure of the secretariat has crippled the party’s routine activities, including administration, policy development, membership management and preparations for elections.

They further contended that the Nigeria Police Force, as a statutory institution established under the Nigeria Police Act 2020, should not engage in partisan conduct.

Urging the court to grant the reliefs sought, the PDP maintained that the balance of convenience favours the party and that financial compensation would not be an adequate remedy.

According to the plaintiffs, granting the application would serve the interest of justice and prevent the police action from being seen as having judicial endorsement.