Olayiwola Matthew
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction loyal to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has taken over the party’s national secretariat, Wadata Plaza, Abuja.
The takeover of the party’s secretariat was ahead of the parallel meeting reportedly scheduled for the same venue by the faction that held its national convention in Ibadan at the weekend.
The Taminu Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC) elected at the controversial Ibadan national convention had scheduled its inaugural meeting with party stakeholders at 10 a.m. at the PDP national secretariat.
Also the Abdulrahman-led faction of NWC had summoned emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) meetings for 11a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively, at the same venue.
The factional National Chairman, Abdulrahman Mohammed, was already at the secretariat building, which was before now under lock and key.
Armed security operatives were also deployed to the party secretariat.
The operatives, comprising personnel of the Mobile Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and Department of State Services (DSS), were stationed at the entrance gates of the party and other strategic locations within the party premises and environs.
There were also security patrol vehicles stationed along the roads leading to the party secretariat, aimed at forestalling any breakdown of law and order, as the PDP factions lay claim to offices within the premises.
While the suspended National Secretary of the party, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, had already gained access to the party secretariat, with accreditation ongoing ahead of their 103 NEC meeting in progress, the Turaki faction had yet to arrive.
Also the anti-Turaki protesters were seen carrying placards bearing inscriptions such as “No to Turaki” and “Turaki must go”, dancing to the music provided by a team of drummers.
Speaking with newsmen before the BoT meeting, Anyanwu described the security deployment at the party secretariat as routine security arrangements whenever the party was holding its BoT or NEC meeting.
“Anytime we’re having a BoT meeting or NEC meeting, we usually invite the security because of the people who are around, so they don’t embarrass our members.
“So, usually we write to all the security agencies for them to give us security to protect the office. That’s why you see the police here. It’s not the first time.
“Well, first of all, I wrote to all the security agencies on the 14th of November, 2025, that we are going to have a BoT at the NEC meeting, the largest NEC meeting here.
“I wrote to INEC as well, which they have managed, and they have been on the news, and they have put it on television and in newspapers.
“I’m the National Secretary of the party. My office is still running until Dec. 8. So, undoubtedly, I’m doing my function.
“I want the BoT acting chairman who is here, who has members of the board of trustees who are here, who have come for their meeting.
“You can see there’s no problem. So if we start our meeting and they come here to disrupt our meeting, they become intruders, because we’re already here.
“I don’t see anybody sensible enough to come and disrupt a meeting that’s going on. If anybody wants to meet, they can meet anywhere. It’s allowed, but we’re here,” Anyanwu said.
Reacting to his suspension from the party at the Ibadan convention, Anyanwu said that all the names mentioned were never expelled.
“On what premise are you expelling us? What platform are you using to expel us? The convention that never held?
“Every communication to INEC for any congress/convention, I must sign it. I never communicated any letter to INEC for any convention. So, there was no convention. As a matter of fact, there was no convention anywhere.
“It’s very clear that any convention must be monitored and supervised by INEC. These things were not done,” he said.
Anyanwu also said that two-thirds of the states’ delegates were not at the convention.
“Even the 17 states they said came for that jamboree, we had people who were picked by the roadsideand given PDP uniforms to occupy some state podiums,” he said.
(NAN)