ABUJA – The leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took a confrontational turn on Friday as the faction led by Kabiru Turaki, SAN, officially dared the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to carry out his threat of sealing their operational headquarters.
The face-off escalated following a monthly media chat where the Minister challenged the authenticity of the Turaki-led group, demanding they “operate transparently” if they are a legitimate political entity.
The Ministerial Challenge
During his media briefing earlier this week, Nyesom Wike dismissed the Turaki faction as an “underground” movement without a legal or physical standing. He suggested that if the group were legitimate, it would not hide its activities. “If they have an office, let them show it. If they are operating illegally in the FCT, we will do what the law says,” the Minister hinted, sparking rumors of a planned clampdown.
Turaki Faction Hits Back
Responding to the Minister’s remarks, the Turaki-led group issued a defiant statement from their operational base in Abuja. They dismissed Wike’s comments as an attempt to use his ministerial powers to settle internal party scores.
“We are not an underground movement; we are the conscience of the PDP,” the statement read. “Our office is open and our location is known to those who matter in this party. If the Minister feels his mandate includes sealing the offices of political dissenters, we say: seal our office if you can.”
The faction maintained that their emergence was a direct response to the “stranglehold” certain individuals have placed on the party’s national structure, vowing to continue their operations despite the threat of executive interference.
A Party Divided
The exchange highlights the deepening rift within the nation’s main opposition party. While the official PDP National Working Committee (NWC) continues to navigate its own internal challenges, the rise of the Turaki-led faction represents a significant challenge to the status quo, particularly for those aligned with the FCT Minister.
Legal experts have noted that any attempt to use the FCT administration to seal a political office could lead to a protracted legal battle over the abuse of executive powers for partisan interests.
