The political storm within the Peoples Democratic Party deepened on Wednesday as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, took aim at factional party leader Tanimu Turaki over his appeal to foreign powers to intervene in Nigeria’s political crisis.
Wike, hosting board members of the South-South Development Commission led by Chibudom Nwuche, dismissed Turaki’s comments as reckless and a direct threat to national security. He accused Turaki’s faction of flouting court orders while attempting to drag the United States President, Donald Trump, into an internal party conflict.
Turaki had, a day earlier, urged Trump and other Western democracies to “save Nigeria’s democracy” after tensions escalated at the PDP national secretariat in Abuja, where rival factions clashed over control of the party’s leadership. He also alleged that Nigeria was facing what he described as a “Christian genocide,” claims Wike said should have prompted immediate scrutiny from security agencies.
Wike criticized the lack of official response to Turaki’s rhetoric, questioning why such explosive allegations had gone unchecked. He argued that no one should make sweeping claims on national television without being invited to back them with facts. According to him, leaders who cannot maintain order within their own political camp should not be seeking external rescue.
As the war of words intensified, officers of the Nigeria Police Force moved in on Wednesday and sealed the PDP national secretariat at Wadata Plaza. A barbed-wire barricade was mounted across the entrance, with officers stating only that the directive came “from above.” Attempts by Zoyols Blog to get clarification from the FCT Police Command were unsuccessful, as calls to the spokesperson went unanswered.
The police action followed a chaotic showdown on Tuesday, triggered by conflicting announcements for a National Executive Committee meeting—one issued by expelled National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and the other by Turaki. Both camps claimed authority, leading to a fierce standoff at the secretariat.
In the aftermath, Turaki, joined by governors Seyi Makinde and Bala Mohammed, placed the blame squarely on Wike, accusing him of fueling the crisis. He went further to call for global attention, insisting that Nigeria’s democratic framework was in jeopardy.
The PDP’s leadership crisis continues to widen, leaving the party grappling with internal fractures even as national tensions rise.
