Tension has increased at the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) national headquarters in Abuja as two opposing factions vying for the party’s leadership have decided to hold concurrent meetings there.
In anticipation of confrontations between supporters of Senator Samuel Anyanwu and the recently elected National Working Committee headed by Tanimu Turaki, heavily armed security personnel roped off significant areas surrounding Wadata Plaza on Tuesday.
On Tuesday morning, members of the National Working Committee, which is led by Anyanwu, arrived to the secretariat first.
Shortly after taking office, Anyanwu told reporters that he would continue to serve as the party’s substantive National Secretary until December, emphasizing that neither a leadership announcement nor the results of the convention could render his position void.
Reports of his expulsion by the Turaki group were dismissed by him, who maintained that due process had not been observed.
Anyanwu affirmed that he had invited the security personnel positioned outside the building in response to inquiries.
He claims that whenever significant party gatherings are planned, the PDP routinely requests the deployment of security personnel.
In what was generally seen as a warning to the Turaki-led exco, which had also called an emergency meeting at the same national headquarters, he added that the security personnel were also prepared to deal with any “intruders.”
On Monday, the Turaki-led leadership sent a letter to the police warning them of what they claimed were preparations by expelled officers to interfere with party secretariat operations.
