A fresh crisis is brewing within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as two rival factions have scheduled separate meetings for Tuesday at the party’s national secretariat in Wadata Plaza, Abuja.
Earlier on Monday, Samuel Anyanwu, an ally of Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), announced an emergency meeting of the party’s national executive committee (NEC) and board of trustees (BoT).
The faction led by Abdulrahman Mohammed said the BoT session would begin at 11am, followed by the NEC meeting at 2pm, both at the same venue.
The group insisted that attendance is mandatory, stressing that “crucial matters” would be discussed.
Meanwhile, Kabiru Turaki, who emerged as PDP national chairman at the party’s convention in Ibadan on Saturday, said the newly elected leadership would go ahead with its own inaugural NEC meeting at Wadata Plaza.
Speaking to journalists on Monday shortly after submitting a petition at the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) headquarters in Abuja, Turaki reaffirmed his resolve to reclaim the secretariat and exercise the mandate of his office.
“We intend to have an interface with the commissioner of police of the FCT regarding the meeting that we have planned for Wadata tomorrow,” he said.
“We are going to have the inaugural national working committee (NWC) meeting of our party.
“At this meeting, we have invited all our stakeholders, our founding fathers; we have invited all our governors and members of the National Assembly, we have invited members of the Board of Trustees, our state chairmen, and other critical stakeholders.
“As law-abiding people, we have come here to tell the police that we are having our meeting tomorrow, and this will be our inaugural meeting since we left Ibadan after our election at the national elective convention.
“Now, we have seen flying in the social media a purported notice of BoT and NEC meeting given by people who for all intents and purposes are no longer members of this party as I am talking today.
“Next to God, the management of a political party is a national convention, and a decision taken in a national convention overrides any other decisions that have been taken by any organ of the party.
“Our national convention has taken a decision to expel these elements of the party; they are no longer members of our party, and so we have reported the moves they are making to the police, as we do not want any situation where there will be a breach of peace.”
Turaki vowed that nothing would stop him and his team from assembling at Wadata Plaza on Tuesday.
“Our offices are now open; we are going there; we will have the offices open; we will get in there and begin to perform the functions for which we were elected,” he said.
“Let me reiterate again, for the avoidance of doubt, to defend our party, to defend this nascent democracy, we are prepared to lay down our lives.”
He confirmed that the NEC meeting would hold at 10am.
“Our meeting is at 10 a.m. tomorrow; we shall be there unfailingly, and I, as the national chairman of PDP, will be leading from the front, not from the rear,” he said.
Turaki added that the police had assured him of adequate security to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
“We have the assurance that they will do everything it takes to ensure there is no breakdown of law and order,” he said.
“That is our expectation from them, and we will be there hoping the police will make sure they give us all the ample protection we are entitled to under the law—and that assurance will protect us.”
Over the weekend, the faction led by Umar Damagum, the immediate past PDP national chairman, held the party’s national convention in Ibadan.
That faction expelled Wike, Anyanwu, Ayo Fayose, and eight others, including Umar Bature, Kamaldeen Ajibade, Mao Ohabunwa, Uwachukwu, George Turner, Dan Orbih, Abdulrahman Mohammed, Austin Nwachukwu and Abraham Amah.
The Wike-aligned camp attempted to halt the convention through the courts, but the opposing faction obtained a high court order in Oyo allowing the event to proceed.