The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under the leadership of Kabiru Turaki (SAN) has gone to the Federal High Court in Abuja, praying an order to the Inspector-General of Police and the Nigeria Police Force to immediately unseal and vacate the party’s national secretariat and other offices in the country.
The plaintiffs lead counsel, Chief Chris Uche (SAN), made the request in a Motion on Notice seeking a mandatory injunction compelling the police to remove all barricades, unseal and withdraw from the PDP national headquarters.
Turaki, along with the chairman of its Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara, in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/252/2025, are asking the court to restrain the police from invading, sealing, occupying or restricting access to any of the party’s offices in the 36 states of the federation, including the Abuja secretariat and its annex.
The joined the Inspector-General of Police and the Nigeria Police Force as defendants in the case
Specifically, the plaintiffs were the court to give “an order of mandatory injunction directing the defendants to immediately remove all barricades, unseal and vacate forthwith from the 1st plaintiff’s national secretariat at Wadata Plaza, Plot 1970 Michael Okpara Way, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja, including its annex, ‘Legacy House’, at Plot 2774 Shehu Shagari Way, Maitama, Abuja, pending the determination of this suit.”
They are also seeking “an order restraining the defendants, whether by themselves, their officers, agents, servants or howsoever, from invading, breaking into, sealing, occupying or in any manner whatsoever restricting the plaintiffs’ access to, use or occupation of any of the 1st plaintiff’s offices in the 36 states of the federation, including its national secretariat and annex, pending the determination of this suit.”
According to the application, the police, without lawful authority, sealed and barricaded the party’s national secretariat with metal wires and occupied its annex from November 18, 2025, and have remained there since.
They said the 2nd and 3rd plaintiffs are principal officers of the party responsible for its administration and management.
The PDP National Secretary, Taofik Arapaja, who produced an in support of the motion he deposed to, said the party held its elective national convention in Ibadan on November 15 and 16, 2025, where new national officers were elected, including Turaki as national chairman.
He said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was formally informed of the outcome by a letter dated November 17, 2025.
Arapaja said the party merely wrote to security agencies, including the police and the Department of State Services, to notify them of an emergency stakeholders’ meeting scheduled for November 18, 2025, and to request adequate security coverage.
He alleged, however, that instead of providing security, a contingent of police officers led by the Commissioner of Police, FCT, arrived at the secretariat on the scheduled date, fired over 200 tear gas canisters and sealed the premises, preventing party officials, staff and visiting governors — including the governors of Bauchi and Oyo states — from gaining access.
According to him, the police action was carried out without any valid court order and amounted to an arbitrary and unlawful occupation of the party’s offices.
The plaintiffs argued that the continued sealing of the secretariat has disrupted the party’s daily operations, including administrative coordination, policy formulation, membership management and election preparations.
They further said the police, as a statutory body under the Nigeria Police Act 2020, ought not to be partisan manner, and therefore urged the court to intervene, arguing that the balance of convenience favours granting the application and that monetary damages would not adequately compensate the party if the reliefs sought are refused.
The plaintiffs also said granting the application would serve the interest of justice and prevent the police action from being perceived as sanctioned by the court.
Security operatives closed down the PDP national secretariat in November due to clashes between the Turaki and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike factions.
This followed a clash between both factions that had fixed their respective meetings at the party headquarters on the same day. Police intervention followed, during which tear gas was fired, after which the premises were locked and barricaded.
The police sealed the secretariat with barbed-wire barricades which stopped the Turaki-led National Working Committee from gaining access to the building to hold their meeting.
