The internal crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has deepened, with the Kabiru Turaki, SAN-led faction heading to court over the continued sealing of the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
In a suit filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, the faction is seeking an order compelling the Inspector-General of Police and the Nigeria Police Force to immediately unseal and vacate the PDP national headquarters, as well as all other party offices across the country.
Court filings show that the request is contained in a Motion on Notice brought by the plaintiffs through their lead counsel, Chief Chris Uche, SAN.
The application asked the court to issue a mandatory injunction directing the police to remove all barricades and withdraw from the party’s offices without delay.
The PDP national secretariat was sealed in November following violent clashes between two rival factions of the party one led by Turaki and the other aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Tension escalated after both factions fixed meetings at the headquarters on the same day, prompting police intervention.
Tear gas was reportedly deployed before the premises were locked and cordoned off with barbed wire.
As a result of the closure, the Turaki-led National Working Committee was unable to hold its postponed inaugural meeting at the secretariat.
Turaki had emerged as national chairman at the party’s national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, in November.
However, the Wike-aligned faction rejected the convention, arguing that it breached existing court orders restraining the PDP from holding the exercise.
Ahead of the convention, Justices James Omotosho and Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, had issued orders stopping the PDP from conducting its scheduled November 15 and 16, 2025 convention.
Despite this, a High Court in Ibadan later granted an ex parte order allowing the party to proceed.
At the Ibadan convention, the party announced the expulsion of Wike, the embattled national secretary Samuel Anyanwu, the factional chairman Mohammed Abdulrahman, and eight others over alleged anti-party activities.
In the fresh suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/252/2025, the PDP, alongside Turaki and the chairman of its Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara, asked the court to restrain the police from further interference in the party’s affairs.
The Inspector-General of Police and the Nigeria Police Force are listed as defendants.
The plaintiffs specifically sought an order compelling the police to immediately remove all barricades, unseal and vacate the PDP national secretariat at Wadata Plaza, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja, and its annex, Legacy House in Maitama, pending the determination of the suit.
They also requested an order restraining the police from sealing, occupying or restricting access to any PDP office nationwide during the pendency of the case.
In their arguments, the plaintiffs contended that the police acted without lawful authority when they sealed and occupied the party’s offices from November 18, 2025, and have remained there since.
They maintained that Turaki and Wabara are principal officers charged with the party’s administration and management.
An affidavit in support of the motion was sworn to by the PDP national secretary, Taofik Arapaja, who stated that the party held its elective national convention in Ibadan on November 15 and 16, 2025, where new officers, including Turaki as national chairman, were elected.