“The police must open the secretariat because they are required to comply with the court order. The closure resulted from disagreements within the party over who constitutes the genuine leadership, but that matter has already been settled by the court.

This was the position of the Nyesom Wike camp of the Peoples Democratic Party, as it prepares to take possession of the Wadata Plaza complex in line with the Federal High Court, Ibadan Division verdict, last month recognising it as the authentic leadership.

The PUNCH, quoted Jungudo Mohammed, spokesman of the National Caretaker Committee, raised by the camp last year, explained that members did not take over on Monday, due to ongoing administrative and security processes.

The paper quoted Mohammed, National Publicity Secretary of the National Caretaker Committee,  as saying: “I am not aware that the police declined our request, and I do not believe that is true. The police are the appropriate authority to confirm why the secretariat has not yet been opened, and we cannot force them.

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“They are still carrying out their administrative and security processes before taking final action. However, we are certain that the secretariat will be reopened.

“Therefore, the police are expected to reopen the secretariat to allow for the lawful activities and business of the political party. It is not true that the police declined our request; what we know is that they intend to reopen it once their internal processes are concluded.”

When asked about their next steps if the police failed to reopen Wadata Plaza, Mohammed said, “We are law-abiding people and leaders, and we will continue to engage the police respectfully to understand any delays and address any concerns they may have.

“We will not resort to violence or unlawful actions. The police are a law-enforcement agency and must comply with court orders, and we are confident it will not escalate to any conflict.

“What we know for certain is that the secretariat will be reopened for party activities. The exact date for reopening is not yet known because administrative processes sometimes face delays, even after tentative timelines are given. Nonetheless, once those processes are completed soon, we remain optimistic that the secretariat will be reopened.”

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On Sunday, both the Wike-backed PDP camp and the Tanimu Turaki (SAN)-led NWC exchanged words over the planned reopening of the secretariat.

While the Wike-backed camps insisted it would go ahead with the takeover of the headquarters, the Turaki camp, backed by Governors Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara) and Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa), had stated that the police would bear the responsibility if anything happened at the party headquarters.

On January 30, 2026, a Federal High Court in Ibadan nullified the PDP National Convention held on November 15, 2025, and barred Turaki (SAN) and several others elected during the election from presenting themselves as national officers of the party.

Prior to the ruling, PDP governors had endorsed the Ibadan convention, which had elected Turaki and the National Working Committee members for a four-year term.

While the governors oversaw a transition from former Chairman Umar Damagum to Turaki before Damagum’s tenure ended on December 9, the Wike-aligned faction formed a 13-member caretaker committee on December 8, appointing Abdulrahman Mohammed as acting national chairman, Samuel Anyanwu as acting national secretary, and other officials with a 60-day mandate.

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Efforts by both factions to hold a meeting at Wadata Plaza on November 18, 2025, ended in violence, after which the police sealed the PDP National Headquarters, which had remained closed for nearly three months.

Following the ruling of the Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan, which favoured the Wike camp, the party pledged to hold a fresh convention to elect new party officials.

INEC subsequently invited the Wike-backed faction to represent the PDP in line with the court order.

At the meeting, Anyanwu announced that the Wadata Plaza Secretariat would be reopened for their use on Monday, a move the Turaki-led NWC kicked against.

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Apparently to press home a vital message, Rotimi Amaechi, former Governor of Rivers State, on Tuesday, stormed the National Assembly complex, venue for the on-going, electoral reform protests with his son in tow.

The former governor, who for eight years, served as Minister of Transportation in the government of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, said the presence of his son, a medical doctor, was to serve dual purposes – to emphasise that the protest did not exclude anyone and for him to attend to the medical needs of the protesters.

The protest, which began on Monday, was called to demonstrate against the Senate’s rejection of mandatory electronic transmission of election results in future elections in Nigeria, particularly that of 2027.

Stressing that his son had to come along in case the demonstration turned violent and injuries are sustained, the former Minister, explained that he came with his son to demonstrate his belief that during major protests, leaders should be at the forefront with their families.

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Amaechi, currently a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), called on Nigerians to rise up against the bad governance of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which he accused of being opposed to electronic transmission of election results because it feared losing elections.

His words: “I believe that the opposition parties should come out – PDP, ADC, everybody should be out – to protest against the attempt of one party. If we come out, and they say the opposition has hijacked (the protest), what is APC doing? Are they not hijacking?

“What are they afraid of? I thought they said they have 31 governors and Tinubu is not Jonathan. The only way a good politician will know he has done well is by the people.”

He further stated that while Senate President Godswill Akpabio and President Bola Tinubu may ignore the demands of Nigerians, opposition parties and civil society organisations would persist until the decision is reversed.

Meanwhile, operatives of the Nigeria Police Force barricaded major roads leading to the National Assembly, where the Senate is scheduled to hold an emergency plenary session on Tuesday.

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The protest is being led by human rights activist Aisha Yusuf, alongside several civil society groups that initiated the demonstration on Monday.

The Senate, has pledged to resolve the issues surrounding Electronic Transmission of election results in the 2027 general elections, to the satisfaction of Nigerians, explaining that it is not immune to public voices.

Yemi Adaramodu, Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, told hundreds of protesters besieged the National Assembly complex in Abuja, demanding that lawmakers explicitly provide for mandatory, real-time electronic transmission of results in the amended Electoral Act, that the lawmakers were not deaf to the issues and would act appropriately.

Vanguard quoted the Senate spokesman as saying that Nigerians had the right to ventilate their grievances peacefully, stressing that demonstrations were part of democratic practice.

“The Senate is not averse to Nigerians showing their feelings. We are in a democracy, and people have the right to express themselves peacefully.  Tomorrow (today), we will be having an emergency sitting to approve the votes and proceedings of our last sitting.

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“As a Senate, we are not averse to Nigerians expressing their views in a very peaceful manner. We are in a democracy, and we will do what we have been elected to do for the people of Nigeria.”

The assurance came as support grew for the ET demand with individuals and groups including Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) former President of the Nigeria Bar Association, the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Movement for Credible Elections (MCE), and Fixpolitics, lending their voices.