You could be having a bit of both problems- dry ignition and twisted key. At different times both of them have reared their ugly heads and caused my ignition to refuse turning or be difficult.
FWIW, when I've twisted the key by attempting to release the seat it's almost always been my frustration instead of the seat. Unless the cable is mis-routed or is not adjusted correctly the seat latch will reliably release but it doesn't always DO exactly the same thing! Sometimes it sort of "jumps" a little, other times it just sits there. I've learned to pull backwards on the bottom rear lip of the seat as my best method of removal AND avoiding whacking my knuckles!
And the Lock Ease is a MUST have for all garages, the Duc seems particularly prone to getting sticky.