Security presence was significantly reinforced on Tuesday at the national headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja as two opposing factions prepared to hold separate meetings at the same location.
A video shared online by the news platform Symfoni showed armed police officers and patrol vehicles positioned at the entrance of the Wadata Plaza secretariat.
Samuel Anyanwu, the factional national secretary aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, arrived early and assumed control of the building.
Speaking to journalists, Anyanwu insisted he remains the legitimate national secretary until his tenure ends in December. He confirmed that he had settled into his office despite the ongoing leadership dispute.
When asked about the heavy police presence, he acknowledged that he invited the security operatives.
“It is the PDP’s usual practice to call in security personnel whenever a meeting of such magnitude is scheduled, in order to maintain law and order,” he said.
Anyanwu added that the deployment was also to prevent “intruders” who had announced plans for a separate meeting at the same venue.
The PDP crisis escalated on Monday after factions loyal to Wike and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde fixed parallel National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings at the secretariat.
Both sides claim control of the party following a contentious national convention in Ibadan, which produced a new National Working Committee and expelled several prominent Wike loyalists.
Despite their expulsion, Wike’s allies issued a notice convening emergency NEC and Board of Trustees meetings at the headquarters. Anyanwu announced that both meetings would hold at the NEC Hall in Wadata Plaza.
However, the Kabiru Turaki-led leadership also scheduled its own meetings for the same venue and alerted security agencies about what it described as a plot by Anyanwu’s group to disrupt party activities.
Turaki told reporters “We came to interface with the Commissioner of Police of the FCT regarding the meeting we plan to have tomorrow. It will be the inaugural meeting of our National Working Committee.”
He maintained that Wike’s loyalists lack legitimacy following their expulsion.
“Next to God, the national convention is the highest authority of a political party. Those expelled are no longer members of our party. We do not want any breach of peace.”
Turaki warned that any group operating from the secretariat outside the newly elected leadership would be treated as “interlopers.”
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