The newly elected National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Tanimu Turaki, has sought police protection following conflicting party meetings scheduled to be held at the party’s national secretariat, Abuja, on Tuesday.
Turaki told newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja after visiting the FCT Police Command Headquarters that the new leadership of the party was poised to take possession of the headquarters.
The Turaki-led NWC, elected at the controversial Ibadan national convention, had scheduled its inaugural meeting with party stakeholders at 10am at the Wadata Plaza, the PDP national secretariat.
Also the Muhammed Abdulrahman-led faction of NWC has summoned an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) and its Board of Trustees (BoT) meetings for 11am and 2pm, respectively, at the same venue.
The faction is loyal to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike.
Turaki said that as law-abiding citizens, his team had gone to inform the CP of police, FCT, of the planned inaugural NWC meeting with stakeholders.
He told newsmen that all the party stakeholders and organs, including the governors, BoT members, and founding fathers, were already invited.
He, however, said that the party leadership had seen a meeting notice issued by the embattled PDP National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, noting that Anyanwu and his group were no longer PDP members.
According to Turaki, the national convention decision overrides every other decision taken by any organ of a party.
“Our national convention has taken a decision to expel these elements from the party. So, they are no longer members of our party.
“We have reported the moves they are making to the police.
“We don’t want any situation where there will be a breach of peace. As leaders, more than any other person, we want peace to be sustained.
“This democracy that our leaders, our forefathers, have sacrificed their lives to bring about to this level, we shall be ready to also give our own lives to sustain this democracy,” he said.
Turaki said that he would be leading the party leaders, members and stakeholders to reopen the party secretariat, which had been under lock since Nov. 3.
“We are holding the meeting in our national secretariat, which is the Wadata House, and anybody that is sitting there without our consent and permission is an interloper.
“We have not sought for the assistance of the police or any other security agencies to lock up our offices.
“Now, we are going there; we’ll have the offices opened; we’ll get in there and then begin to perform the functions for which we’ve been elected.
“I have assured the Commissioner of Police of the FCT that we will ensure that there is no breach of the peace, of course,” he said.
He said there would be those at the secretariat prepared to defend themselves and their integrity as Nigerians.
“Let me reiterate again for avoidance of doubt, we will be there to defend our party, to defend this nascent democracy; we are prepared to lay down our lives,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the PDP secretariat had been under lock and key, following the emergence of factions within the party’s National Working Committee (NWC). (NAN)
