PDP crisis: Police barricade secretariat

Security operatives deployed to the National Headquarters of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to maintain peace and order yesterday barricaded the premises and road leading to the party’s secretariat. The development followed the violence that erupted at the secretariat after the two factions tried to take control of the office and hold parallel […]

Security operatives deployed to the National Headquarters of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to maintain peace and order yesterday barricaded the premises and road leading to the party’s secretariat.

The development followed the violence that erupted at the secretariat after the two factions tried to take control of the office and hold parallel meetings on Tuesday.

The National Chairman of the party, Barrister Tanimu Turaki, SAN had on Monday visited the Federal Capital Territory, FCT police command to demand protection for the inaugural meeting of the new National Working Committee, NWC.

Turaki, who also submitted a petition against the other faction of the party led by Senator Samuel Anyanwu, the factional National Secretary, backed by the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, said Anyanwu and others expelled at the Ibadan convention were no longer members of the party.

This was as the Anyanwu group also insisted that they were going to have a Board of Trustees, BoT and National Executive Committee, NEC meeting at the same venue.

The violent scenes created panic within the area, disrupted traffic along adjoining roads, and threw the party headquarters into chaos. The situation prompted the deployment of heavily armed security personnel who took control of the premises to restore order.

Two governors elected on the platform of the PDP, Seyi Makinde, (Oyo) and Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), party leaders were teargassed by the operatives, as the ensuing pandemonium led to many people been injured.

When our correspondent visited Wadata Plaza on Wednesday morning stern looking police men were still seen milling around the vicinity. Also some of the police vehicles could be sighted while the security men can be seen standing in front of the barricade.

 

Turaki-led NWC to engage IGP

Meanwhile, following the closure of the party headquarters, Daily Trust reliably gathered that the newly elected National Chairman and his NWC members are already making plans to engage with the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.

The move a party chieftain who is conversant with the development said was because the NWC members felt they were not treated well by policeman deployed from the FCT command.

The Source said,  “You can understand what happened on Tuesday, Turaki and his NWC members were not happy because while the police allowed Anyanwu and others to enter Wadata, they have to force their way in. This was after they went to meet the commissioner of police in his office on Monday.”

Even though he was not explicit, the new National Publicity Secretary of the party, Comrade Ini Ememobong confirmed to Daily Trust that they were engaging with the security hierarchy on the development.

While expressing concern that the secretariat had remained under lock and key without any official explanation from the security agencies, Ememobong said, “As leaders of the party, we have not been officially informed, which is sad, about the barricade.

“But we have seen that our offices have been sealed and we are making attempts to reach the security hierarchy to at least tell us why they decided to do that.

“Presently, we are interfacing with the security hierarchy to understand the reason and the duration, and maybe the conditions for it.”

In their own reaction, Timothy Osadolor, the factional acting national youth leader aligned with the Wike camp, told Daily Trust that they requested police intervention to secure the headquarters.

Osadolor explained that their action was a fallout of the violence that ravaged the party secretariat on Tuesday, saying  “We called for the police to come and lock up the office because after our NEC and NWC meetings yesterday we realized that the leaders of those that organized a jamboree in Ibadan, went to the office of the acting National Chairman where he addressed a press conference that he was now the chairman of a group, because that is not PDP.”

Osadolor said the police were already investigating what transpired on Tuesday because “they also want to know what Turaki and his NWC members did when they went to the office of the National Chairman.

“We are trying to investigate what he has done. So we wanted the police to seal up the place. We want the secretariat secured first, to ascertain the level of carnage that Governor Bala and Governor Makinde brought upon the secretariat yesterday.”

He said once the police are done with their audit, Wadata Plaza will be open again and they will resume  their activities as leaders of the party.