The peace of Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) may be disturbed as the two contending factions for the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have prepared to hold a meeting at the party’s National Secretariat on Tuesday, November 18.

The group loyal to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, in a notice signed by Senator Samuel Anyanwu, said it will hold its factional Board of Trustees (BoT) and National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings at the National Secretariat.

The National Chairman of the PDP, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, after a meeting with the FCT Commissioner of Police, said the newly inaugurated National Working Committee (NWC) will hold its inaugural meeting, also at the party’s National Secretariat.

“At this meeting, we have invited all our stakeholders and founding fathers. We’ve invited all our governors and members of the National Assembly. We’ve invited members of the Board of Trustees, our state chairmen, and other critical stakeholders.

“And so, as law-abiding people, we’ve 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 our National Elective Convention,” Turaki said in an interview with journalists.

PDP National Secretariat had been locked since November 3, following the suspension and counter-suspension by the now dissolved National Working Committee (NWC) members.

The party at its National Convention in Ibadan, Oyo State, last weekend, suspended Wike, Anyanwu, who is National Secretary in the dissolved NWC, the factional National Chairman, Alhaji Abdulrahman Mohammed, factional BoT Chairman, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, former National Organising Secretary Capt Umar Bature (retd), former National Legal Adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade, SAN and his deputy Okechukwu Osuoha, among others.

Anyanwu admitted that he order that the secretariat should be locked because they got information that a group led by the former National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum, was planning to attack the secretariat.

“And for that reason, as the custodian of the office, as the secretary, I asked everybody to stay away. Let us find a lasting solution to make the place safer for our people to do their job,” Anyanwu said.

That was before the party’s elective National Convention, where new officers of the party were elected.

Turaki said Wike and others are no longer PDP members.

According to him, in the management of a political party, the National Convention is the highest decision-making organ of the party.

“The decision taken in a National Convention overrides every other decision that has been taken by any organ of a party.

“Our National Convention has taken a decision to expel these elements from the party,” he said, adding that Wike and members of his group are no longer members of PDP.

“And so, we have reported the moves they are making to the police, because 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 also to give our own lives to sustain this democracy,” he assured.

Turaki stated as the National Chairman, he would be leading from the front, and assured that the party would hold its inaugural meeting at Wadata Plaza, the PDP National Secretariat, “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 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 while we will ensure that no breach of the peace, of course, we will go there prepared to defend ourselves and our integrity as Nigerians because the Nigerian constitution has given us the right to defend our persons, our lives, our properties. So, that is what we are prepared to do.

“And let me reiterate again for avoidance of doubt, to defend our party, to defend this nascent 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, then we pray for them.”