The Conference of Professionals in the People’s Democratic Party has directed loyalists of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to vacate the party’s national secretariat at Wadata Plaza in Abuja.
The group said the order followed a recent Court of Appeal judgment, which it claimed removed every legal basis for the continued occupation of the secretariat by the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led camp.
In a statement issued by its National Coordinator, Obinna Nwachukwu, the group warned that members of the faction should leave the premises immediately or risk being removed through what it described as “legitimate force.”
Nwachukwu argued that the appellate court decision in Appeal No. CA/IB/M.90/2026 had settled key legal issues surrounding the party’s internal leadership dispute. According to him, the ruling left no room for any group without constitutional backing to continue acting in the name of the PDP.
He said the judgment had “effectively stripped the recalcitrant elements of any legally recognisable authority, exposing their continued occupation of the party’s office as a brazen act of lawlessness, trespass, and political imposture.”
The PDP Professionals explained that the Court of Appeal examined the controversy surrounding the appearance of lawyer Dapo Durosaro on behalf of the party and Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum, who is recognised by the group as National Chairman.
According to the statement, one of the major issues before the court was whether A.K. Ajibade, SAN, still retained the powers of the National Legal Adviser to delegate legal authority.
The group maintained that the court ruled that Ajibade lost every constitutional power attached to his office after his suspension on November 1, 2025.
Quoting the judgment, the group noted that, “Any exercise of the power conferred on a party official by the party’s constitution, while a suspension subsists, is an exercise in futility.”
It also claimed that the appellate court upheld the decision of the party’s 608th National Working Committee, which transferred the responsibilities of the legal office to the National Directorate of Legal Services and authorised Dapo Durosaro to represent the party and its leadership.
According to the PDP Professionals, the court further observed that although Ajibade’s suspension lasted for one month, his tenure eventually expired in December 2025, making any subsequent claim to the office legally untenable.
