PDP National Secretariat in Abuja invaded by police
Coalition of lawyers and civil society organisations has handed the Nigeria Police Force a strict 24-hour deadline to reopen the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Secretariat in Abuja or face immediate legal action.
The coalition—made up of Lawyers for New Nigeria (LNN), Good Governance Initiative Coalition (GGIC) and the Arewa Lawyers Union (ALU)—issued the ultimatum at a press conference on Monday, according to NAN report.
Speaking on behalf of the groups, National Coordinator of LNN, Hassan Saraki, said the action became necessary to safeguard Nigeria’s multi-party democracy, which he argued was being undermined by the continued police blockade of the PDP’s headquarters.
Saraki insisted the shutdown was illegal and an affront to opposition politics.
“The opposition should not only be provided a level-playing field without intimidation but also be allowed to flourish,” he said, demanding the immediate withdrawal of police personnel from Wadata Plaza.
“We give the police 24 hours to reopen the PDP national secretariat; failure to do that will result in legal action. As lawyers, we cannot continue to see things going wrong and keep quiet,” he declared. “We all know what is going on in this country; we cannot allow the situation to further degenerate.”
He described the blockade of the PDP office as a “coordinated assault” on the heart of Nigeria’s democracy. According to him, the dramatic events of Nov. 18 and Nov. 20 were not internal party disputes but an outright siege.
“At the centre of this crisis is the brazen, violent and unconstitutional invasion of the PDP national secretariat at Wadata Plaza, Abuja, on Nov. 18 and again on Nov. 20,” Saraki said. “This was not an internal disagreement; it was a siege, a forceful occupation, led by political thugs, backed by security operatives acting without lawful authority. This is an unprecedented, unconstitutional and dangerous assault on Nigeria’s democracy.”
Saraki argued that the police actions violate Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of association, as well as Sections 221–229, which protect the operation of political parties.
He stressed that the resolutions of the party’s National Working Committee at the Ibadan Convention remain valid.
“Let it be repeated that the decisions of the PDP National Working Committee at the Ibadan Convention remain valid unless set aside by a court of competent jurisdiction. No group has the authority to overturn them by force,” he said.
Saraki also warned that Nigeria’s global reputation is already strained by issues of insecurity and allegations of human rights abuses. The ongoing suppression of opposition voices, he said, risks pushing the country further toward authoritarianism.
Consequently, the coalition is demanding not only the reopening of the secretariat but also a parliamentary inquiry into what they describe as the “misuse of security agencies” in political matters.
