ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), intensified on Thursday as the faction loyal to former presidential aspirant Kabiru Turaki openly challenged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to carry out his threat of sealing its office.
The Turaki-aligned camp said it was already operating from a known location and dared the FCT minister to move against it if he truly had the power.
The confrontation followed comments made by Wike during his monthly media briefing earlier this week, where he questioned the legitimacy of the faction and challenged members to operate publicly if they genuinely existed.
The minister had also warned that any property being used by the faction for party activities could be shut down.
Responding to the threat, Ibrahim Abdullahi, a former deputy national publicity secretary of the PDP and private principal secretary to Turaki, insisted that the group was functioning openly and without fear.
“We have been operating from an office. He knows the location; he should come there and take over the office if he can,” Abdullahi said.
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“It is a temporary office, but we are meeting there and carrying out our functions.”
Abdullahi also warned that the worsening internal crisis within the opposition party could push the country into deeper political instability if not properly managed.
According to him, Nigeria was gradually drifting toward what he described as a Hobbesian state of disorder “where life is brutish, short, and nasty.”
Also reacting to Wike’s remarks, the spokesperson for the Turaki faction, Ini Ememobong, dismissed the minister’s claims as unrealistic and misleading.
He accused Wike of making empty threats regarding the faction’s operations and finances.
“His delusional boast of dealing with banks that will open accounts for us is delusional, as he is already aware that we are operating accounts of the party, which is why his group of friends are receiving money through private accounts,” Ememobong said.
The latest exchange highlights the deepening power struggle within the PDP ahead of the 2027 political season, with rival blocs continuing to battle for control of the party structure and legitimacy.