Violence Over National Secretary Seat Mars PDP BoT Meeting
The festering leadership crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) turned violent on Wednesday.
Two claimants to the post of National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Sunday Ude-Okoye clashed during a meeting of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT).
The BoT meeting presided by its chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara was ongoing when Ude-Okoye entered the meeting venue and attempted to take his seat as National Secretary.
But Anyanwu who had arrived the meeting much earlier, had already taken the seat with the Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum sitting next to him.
Trouble started when Ude-Okoye attempted to displace Anyanwu as a number of hefty men ostensibly brought in by Anyanwu descended on him.
Some of the thugs dealt Ude-Okoye a couple of slaps as they dragged him out of the meeting venue.
At this point, another set of thugs said to have been brought by Ude-Okoye and who had been stationed outside the main gate, moved to rescue him.
This led to a confrontation between the two groups as some of Ude-Okoye’ thugs scaled the main gate to gain entry into the premises of the secretariat.
There was pandemonium outside the gate as armed policeman battled to restore order within the premises and outside the gate.
In the ensuing melee, a cameraman of Silver Bird Television had his camera siezed by armed policemen.
Also, a female reporter from Arise Television was manhandled and her telephone handset siezed by thugs when she attempted to record events with her handset.
Some journalists who were caught in the ensuing confusion were prevented from accessing the party secretariat by armed policemen.
Some of the policemen stationed at a the main gate threatened to use “maximum force” on them if they did not leave the vicinity of the secretariat.
A former sanator who represented Ekiti South in the 9th Senate, Mrs Biodun Olujimi was among the party chieftians who were prevented from entering the secretariat.
Olujimi, who was attending the BoT meeting, was delayed outside the gate for more than 25 minutes before she was allowed in upon making contact with party leaders at meeting.
Details shortly
Violence Over National Secretary Seat Mars PDP BoT Meeting is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
