The newly elected National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Tanimu Turaki, has requested police protection ahead of conflicting party meetings slated for Tuesday at the PDP national secretariat in Abuja.
Turaki, who spoke to journalists after visiting the FCT Police Command Headquarters, said the new leadership was determined to take possession of the Wadata Plaza headquarters.
The Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC), elected at the controversial Ibadan national convention, had fixed its inaugural meeting with party stakeholders for 10 a.m. at the same venue.
Rival faction schedules parallel meetings
In a separate development, the Mohammed Abdulrahman-led faction of the NWC — loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike — summoned an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting for 11 a.m. and a Board of Trustees (BoT) meeting for 2 p.m., both at Wadata Plaza.
Turaki described himself and his team as law-abiding, explaining that they had officially informed the FCT Commissioner of Police about their scheduled inaugural meeting.
He confirmed that all critical party organs and stakeholders, including governors, BoT members and founding members, had been invited for the session.
Turaki insists expelled members hold no authority
Turaki dismissed a separate meeting notice issued by the embattled PDP National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, insisting that Anyanwu and others had been expelled by the national convention.
According to him, the decisions of the convention supersede any resolutions from other party organs, adding that the group loyal to Anyanwu had already been reported to the police to prevent a breach of peace.
He stressed that the party leadership was ready to reopen the national secretariat — locked since November 3 — and resume its functions, pledging to defend the party’s integrity and Nigeria’s democracy if necessary.
