A coalition of lawyers under the aegis of Lawyers for New Nigeria (LNN), Arewa Lawyers Union (ALU) and Good Governance Initiative Coalition (GGIC) has called on police authorities to lift the siege on the National Headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and reopen the complex.
The lawyers said the continued barricade of the opposition party’s office, allegedly on the orders of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, was illegal and an attempt to stifle opposition and create a one-party state.
Security operatives, led by the police, had locked up the PDP secretariat after two factions of the party led by Tanimu Turaki, SAN, and backed by governors, clashed with the Abdulrahman Muhammed group, supported by Wike.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Monday, Barrister Hassan Saraki, national coordinator of the coalition, said they had given the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, 24 hours to withdraw officers from the secretariat or face legal action.
The lawyers warned that the continued seizure of the PDP headquarters was a threat to constitutional governance, democratic stability, and multiparty politics in Nigeria.
Citing Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Sections 221–229, the coalition described the scenario as unprecedented, unconstitutional, and an assault on Nigeria’s democracy.
Saraki urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to uphold his constitutional oath, ensure neutrality, and provide an enabling environment for opposition parties to operate freely.
“Nigeria is now on the global stage over insecurity, allegations of genocide, and now the attempted destruction of our multiparty democracy,” Saraki said. “At the centre of this crisis is the brazen, violent, and unconstitutional invasion of the PDP national secretariat at Wadata Plaza, Abuja.”
The lawyers condemned the deployment of police officers to enforce a partisan takeover, weaken the opposition, intimidate political actors, and shrink democratic space, calling it a violation of the doctrine of political plurality.
They urged international bodies to monitor developments in Nigeria and intervene diplomatically to prevent the collapse of democracy, stressing that without a viable opposition, dictatorship could emerge.
The coalition demanded the immediate withdrawal of police from the PDP secretariat, a proper investigation into Wike’s role, a parliamentary inquiry into the misuse of security agencies, and a public presidential commitment to multiparty democracy.
