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As New Chairman Tukur Visits FCT Police Command
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Says New Leaders Ready to Die to Defend Party
- Safiu Kehinde
The newly elected national leaders and members of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) National Working Committee (NWC) are set to hold their inaugural meeting at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
This is coming amid planned emergency meeting also slated to hold at the Wadata Plaza by the expelled Muhammed Abdulrahman-led faction of the party.
NPO Reported that the faction whose members were expelled from the party at its just concluded National Convention in Ibadan, Oyo state, had yesterday issued a notice of the emergency meetings slated to hold today at the secretariat which they currently occupied.
In the same vein, the newly elected National Chairman of the party, Kabiru Turaki, announced plan to hold the inaugural meeting of the NWC and Board of Trustees (BoT) at the same secretariat on Tuesday.
Turaki made this known after his visit to the Nigerian Police Force Headquarters in Abuja to inform the force of the planned meeting.
As disclosed in a statement issued on the party’s X handle on Monday evening, Turaki had submitted a petition at the Force Headquarters in Garki against the expelled National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu and other members of the faction labelled “saboteurs”.
Turaki announced that nothing will stop him and his colleagues from meeting tomorrow at the office.
In his address to newsmen, he reiterated that the Abdlurahman-led faction has all been expelled with the inaugural meeting of the new national leaders set to be witnessed by members and prominent leaders of the party.
” We came to have an interface with the commissioner of Police of the FCT regarding the meeting we have planned that we are going to have tomorrow.
“We have going to have the inaugural National Working Committee (NWC) meeting of our party.
“At this meeting, we are inviting all our stakeholders and founding fathers. We have invited all our Governors and members of the National Assembly.
“We have invited members of the Board of Trustees (BoT), 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. This will be the inaugural meeting since we left Ibadan after our election at the National Elective Convention.
“Now, we have seen flying in the social media, the purported notice of BoT and NEC meeting written by people who for all intent and purposes are no longer members of this party.
“Next to God, the management of a political party is the National Convention. The decision taken in the National Convention overrides every other decision that have been taken by any organ of the party.” Tukur said.
While reiterating that the Abdulrahman-led faction has been expelled at the convention, the PDP Chairman disclosed that he has informed the police of the alleged plots by the faction to sabotage their planned meeting which according to him will hold by 10am .
Tukur maintained that new leadership are ready to sacrifice their lives to defend the party as he vowd that the secretariat will be opened with all leaders assuming their respective roles.
“Our National Convention has taken a decision to expel these elements from the party and so they are no longer members of our party.
“We have reported the moves they are making to the police because we won’t want any situation where there will be breach of peace. As leaders, more than any other person, you want peace to be sustained.
“This democracy that our forefathers have sacrificed their lives to bring about to this level, we shall be ready to also give our own life to sustain this democracy.
“We are holding the meeting at the 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 the assistance of the police or any other security agencies to lock up our office.
“We are going there. We will have the office open. We will be getting there and begin to perform the functions for which we have been collectively elected.
“I have assured the Commissioner of Police of the FCT while there will be no breach of peace, we will be there prepared to defend ourselves and our integrity as Nigerians.
“Let me reiterate again for the avoidance of doubt, to defend our party and democracy, we are prepared to lay down our lives. We will go there to move into our headquarters, to conduct our official functions. and if anybody tries to prevent us, we pray for them.
“I will be leading from the front not from the rear” He concluded.