The newly elected National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Tanimu Turaki, has requested police protection following escalating tensions between rival party factions over control of the PDP national secretariat in Abuja.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday after visiting the FCT Police Command Headquarters, Turaki said the new leadership was prepared to take official possession of the Wadata Plaza headquarters. The Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC), elected at the controversial Ibadan national convention, scheduled its inaugural meeting with party stakeholders at 10 a.m. at the secretariat.
However, another faction led by Muhammed Abdulrahman has called for emergency meetings of the National Executive Committee (NEC) at 11 a.m. and the Board of Trustees (BoT) at 2 p.m. at the same location. This faction is reportedly loyal to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike.
Turaki emphasized that his team, acting as law-abiding citizens, had informed the FCT Police Commissioner about the planned inaugural meeting. “All the party stakeholders and organs, including governors, BoT members, and founding fathers, have been invited,” he said.
He also dismissed a meeting notice issued by the embattled PDP National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, stressing that Anyanwu and his group were no longer members of the party following decisions taken at the national convention.
“Our national convention has taken a decision to expel these elements from the party. So, they are no longer members of our party,” Turaki stated. He further assured that the party had reported the rival faction’s actions to the police, noting that the leadership’s priority was to maintain peace.
“This democracy that our leaders and forefathers sacrificed their lives to achieve is one we are ready to defend,” Turaki said.
According to Turaki, the PDP secretariat had been under lock since November 3, but he vowed to lead party leaders, members, and stakeholders to reopen the offices. “We are holding the meeting in our national secretariat, which is the Wadata House, and anybody that is sitting there without our consent and permission is an interloper. We will ensure there is no breach of peace,” he added.
He warned that some members at the secretariat were prepared to defend themselves and the integrity of the party. “Let me reiterate again for avoidance of doubt, we will be there to defend our party, to defend this nascent democracy; we are prepared to lay down our lives,” Turaki stated.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the PDP secretariat has remained locked since the emergence of factions within the party’s National Working Committee.
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