The Nigeria Police Force has sealed off the National Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following hours of intense standoff between the rival factions engulfed in the party’s leadership crisis.
Truckloads of policemen were deployed by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command, Tuesday to prevent a breakdown of law and order, as the two factions, each laying claim to the party’s leadership planned to hold parallel meetings at the secretariat.
The faction loyal to FCT Minister, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, led by the embattled National Secretary , Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, had earlier around 7.00 am Tuesday taken control of the premises, commencing accreditation of members of its version the Board of Trustees (BoT) and National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.
However, around 11 a.m., the other faction arrived with the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed; Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde; and the newly-elected National Chairman, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN.
They were prevented from moving into the PDP secretariat premises by policemen who has earlier arrived with Anyanwu, but were subsequently overpowered and moved into the NEC Hall and forced out members of the Wike-backed group who had been preparing to hold a meeting.
Turaki and his team later addressed the press, announcing the postponement of the inaugural meeting of the newly-elected National Working Committee (NWC), citing an “unconducive environment.”
The situation escalated further when Wike arrived at the secretariat, just as Turaki and his entourage were preparing to depart, making the Turaki faction to stay back longer.
Both groups refused to vacate the premises despite appeals from the FCT Commissioner of Police, who claimed he was not on the side of any of the factions.
At about 12:45 p.m., policemen fired teargas to disperse all the parties and subsequently locked up the secretariat, but that was after Turaki has addressed the press, calling on the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump and the international community to “come to the rescue of Nigerian democracy”.
