Amid a bitter leadership dispute, the Nigeria Police Force has locked down the PDP National Secretariat after rival factions engaged in a tense confrontation.
Truckloads of police from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command were deployed to maintain order as both factions, each claiming the party’s leadership, planned parallel meetings at the secretariat.
The faction loyal to FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, took control of the premises early Tuesday morning, beginning accreditation for members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) and National Executive Committee (NEC).
Around 11 a.m., the opposing faction, led by Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, and newly elected National Chairman Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, arrived and forced out the Wike-backed group from the NEC Hall.
Turaki and his team later addressed reporters, announcing the postponement of the inaugural meeting of the newly elected National Working Committee (NWC), citing an “unconducive environment”.
The standoff escalated when Wike arrived just as Turaki’s group was preparing to leave, with both sides refusing to vacate the premises despite appeals from the FCT Commissioner of Police.
Around 12:45 p.m., police fired teargas to disperse all parties and subsequently sealed the secretariat.
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