There was intense chaos at the PDP headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday as operatives of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) deployed teargas to break up altercations involving supporters of two rival factions of PDP leaders.
The new national working committee (NWC) of the party, headed by Kabiru Turaki, and the group supported by Nyesom Wike were due to meet at the Wadata Plaza PDP headquarters on the same day.
Before their scheduled board of trustees (BoT) and national executive committee (NEC) meetings, Samuel Anyanwu, the national secretary of the Wike bloc, and other pdp leaders in his faction arrived at the Wadata Plaza premises.
Police struggled to maintain order, at one point telling all partygoers to leave the area.
Teargas canisters were thereafter deployed to disperse politicians and journalists alike as supporters of both factions clashed and brawled.
Some of the supporters outside the building were spotted singing protest songs while brandishing cudgels and other random things.
Turaki, the recently elected PDP chairman, told reporters that the party is under attack, endangering both its existence and the country’s democracy.
He claimed that security personnel had attacked the party, using force against members who attempted to enter the headquarters.
Read Also: Samuel Anyanwu–led NWC storms PDP National Headquarters in Abuja amid intense showdown
He claimed that some PDP leaders and members who attempted to attend the meeting were “shot by the police”, adding that the incident showed how far institutions had deteriorated.
The PDP leader said the situation required urgent global attention, warning that “democracy in Nigeria is under severe threat”.
“Can you see that the minister of FCT (Wike) has been granted access — a person that has been expelled?” Turaki said.
“Some of our governors have been teargassed; some of our members who came here to attend a meeting that has been lawfully called have been teargassed.”
“We will now be calling on the international community. I want to call on President Trump,” he said.
“What is at stake is not our genocide against Nigerian Christians. They should come and save democracy in Nigeria.
“Democracy is at stake. I’m calling on all other developed nations: come and save Nigeria, come and save democracy.”
The PDP chair accused Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), of sponsoring thugs to disrupt activities at the party headquarters.
Additionally, he claimed that the police gave those responsible for the disturbances cover.
Noting that his faction of PDP leaders and party members were ready to protect their mandate, he declared that the party would not be intimidated.
Join Our Social Media Channels:
WhatsApp: NaijaEyes
Facebook: NaijaEyes
Twitter: NaijaEyes
Instagram: NaijaEyes
TikTok: NaijaEyes
