The leadership crisis rocking the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) took a dramatic turn on Tuesday, November 18, as the newly elected National Chairman of the party, Kabiru Turaki, called on the United States (US) President, Donald Trump, to urgently intervene and save Nigerian democracy.
Turaki made this call at the PDP National Headquarters in Abuja, while speaking during its first National Working Committee (NWC) meeting.
New Telegraph reports that before Turaki led his team to the meeting, the former National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, who was suspended and later expelled at the National Convention of the party in Ibadan, Oyo State, had occupied the secretariat with his parallel NWC members for his Board of Trustees (BoT) meeting.
Anyanwu’s team, backed by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, stormed the PDP secretariat upon hearing of the presence of Turaki, Governors Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), and others.
However, Wike rushed to the PDP headquarters, further deepening the clash.
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The meeting, which began under a chaotic atmosphere, was later disturbed when police threw tear gas canisters to disperse the Turaki-led NWC.
Speaking at the party office, Turaki said the party had come under intense attack from security operatives, who, according to him, used force against members trying to access the headquarters.
He claimed that some PDP members who attempted to attend the meeting were “Shot by the police,” adding that the incident showed how far institutions had deteriorated.
The PDP Chairman said the situation required urgent global attention, warning that “Democracy in Nigeria is under severe threat.”
“Can you see that the minister of FCT (Wike) has been granted access, a person who has been expelled?” Turaki asked.
“Some of our governors have been teargassed; some of our members who came here to attend a meeting that has been lawfully called have been teargassed.”
Turaki called on the international community to intervene, saying, “They should come and save democracy in Nigeria.”
“We will now be calling on the international community. I want to call on President Trump. What is at stake is not our genocide against Nigerian Christians. They should come and save democracy in Nigeria.
According to him, the party will not be intimidated, noting that its members were prepared to defend their mandate.
“We are willing to lay down our lives to protect our office, to protect our democracy, to protect our mandate,” he added.
He accused Wike of sponsoring thugs to disrupt activities at the party headquarters, as well as alleging that the police provided cover for persons behind the unrest.
Turaki said Nigerians are witnessing events that pose “a grave danger” to the political system, adding that the party would resist efforts to silence it.
