- Safiu Kehinde
The Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) national secretariat has on Tuesday morning come under tight surveillance as security personnel arrived at the Wadata Plaza ahead of the inaugural meeting of the newly elected leaders of the party.
NPO earlier Reported that the new National Chairman of the PDP, Kabiru Turaki, had yesterday announced the inaugural National Executive meeting slated to hold at the party’s secretariat in Abuja.
While the party is slated to hold by 10am, the expelled Muhammed Abdulrahman and Samuel Anyanwu-led faction of the party had earlier announced an emergency meeting which is also scheduled today by 11am at the same secretariat.
In the wake of the planned meeting, Tukur and other members of the party had visited the Nigerian Police Force Headquarters in Garki where he submitted a petition against the expelled National Secretary Anyanwu and other members of the faction he labelled “saboteurs”.
Ahead of the meeting between the two factions, the police had deployed armed personnel to the secretariat.
A video shared on X on Tuesday morning showed the police operational vehicles parked at strategic positions around the secretariat’s premises.
Meanwhile Turaki had at the Force Headquarters yesterday reiterating that the Abdulrahman-led faction has been expelled at the convention.
The PDP National 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 vowed 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 said.