Tensions within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) escalated sharply on Tuesday after security operatives fired tear gas at party officials, governors and journalists at the PDP national secretariat in Abuja — prompting the party’s Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong Essien, to call on President Bola Tinubu to rein in the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike.

Essien, who emerged as Publicity Secretary at the Ibadan convention, accused the police of taking sides in the internal conflict and enabling a rival faction linked to Wike to gain entry into the secretariat while blocking the national chairman and governors from accessing the premises.

“You have been tear-gassed. All of us know the truth. Today, some governors have been tear-gassed — for what reason?” Essien told reporters after the incident.

He revealed that a meeting had been held on Monday between the PDP national chairman and the FCT Commissioner of Police, during which concerns about Tuesday’s gathering were clearly communicated. Despite this, he said officers still facilitated the arrival of individuals earlier expelled from the party.

According to Essien, party leaders who were legitimately meant to be at the secretariat were denied entry, while those aligned with the opposing faction received police escort.

“The same people who stopped us from coming in — who stopped two governors and the national chairman — were escorting someone else inside,” he said, insisting that the PDP’s “original owners” were forcefully kept out of their own secretariat.

The clash marks the latest eruption in the long-running power struggle between mainstream PDP leaders and a faction believed to be receiving backing from Wike, whose influence has continued to shape political tensions both within the ruling APC and the opposition PDP.

Party members fear the crisis could worsen if not urgently addressed, with Essien urging President Tinubu to intervene to prevent further escalation.