Supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party faction loyal to National Vice Chairman (North Central), Mohammed Abdulrahman, stormed the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Monday, demanding that the Umar Damagum-led National Working Committee (NWC) step down immediately. The protesters were seen chanting solidarity songs as they occupied the premises.
Abdulrahman was recently named Acting National Chairman amid a worsening leadership crisis, which intensified after the one-month suspension of the party’s National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and Legal Adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade.
In a dramatic response, Anyanwu’s faction held a separate meeting in Abuja and announced the suspension of the Damagum-led NWC.
The PDP, through its official X account, described the incident as an attack on the National Secretariat, accusing Anyanwu of mobilizing “armed thugs” to the Wuse Zone 5 office. The party claimed that staff, security personnel, and journalists covering the event were harassed and intimidated.
Eyewitnesses reported that more than 50 individuals loyal to Anyanwu’s faction breached the secretariat, vandalized office equipment, and physically assaulted administrative staff. Several journalists were also threatened and had their recording devices seized in what appeared to be an attempt to block coverage. The party added that security personnel on site did not intervene to stop the attacks.
