Eshiorameh Sebastian in Abuja
The Nigeria Police Force has taken over the Peoples Democratic Party’s national secretariat, Wadata Plaza, effectively barring rival factions from holding parallel meetings scheduled for Tuesday and averting a major political confrontation.
SPEAR NEWS gathered this morning that armed police units sealed off all entrances to the building, preventing access to both factions loyal to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde.
The development followed days of escalating tension within the opposition party. The crisis erupted after Saturday’s national convention in Ibadan produced a new National Working Committee led by Tanimu Turaki, which promptly expelled Wike and several of his loyalists.
Despite their expulsion, associates of the FCT minister, led by Senator Samuel Anyanwu, had scheduled an emergency National Executive Committee meeting for Tuesday at the party headquarters. In response, the Turaki-led NWC scheduled its own meeting at the same venue and same time, setting the stage for a direct confrontation.
On Monday, Turaki had visited police headquarters to alert authorities about what he called an “alleged plot” by the Anyanwu group to disrupt party activities. He had vowed to personally lead the new NWC into the headquarters, declaring, “We are prepared to defend our party and our democracy.”
However, in a decisive move to maintain public order, the police have instead taken control of the premises.
Senior police sources confirmed to SPEAR NEWS that the occupation is a preventive measure aimed at avoiding a breach of the peace that seemed inevitable with both factions determined to access the building.
The development represents a significant escalation in the PDP’s internal crisis, coming just hours after former Kaduna State Governor Ahmed Makarfi resigned as Board of Trustees Secretary, citing the need for regional balance within the party’s leadership.
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