The battle for supremacy by principal actors in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership crisis, yesterday put the party on edge. For several hours, Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed and his Oyo State counterpart, Seyi Makinde, engaged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike in battle of supremacy for the control of the PDP National Secretariat in Abuja.

The PDP National Convention, which held last Saturday in Ibadan, Oyo State, had expelled Wike, Samuel Anyanwu, Ayo Fayose, Abdulrahman Mohammed, among others, for anti-party activities. But despite the expulsion, Anyanwu, who was National Secretary in the now dissolved National Working Committee (NWC), scheduled Board of Trustees (BoT) and National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings at the PDP National Secretariat for yesterday.

Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN), who was elected National Chairman at the Ibadan convention, told journalists after a meeting with the FCT Commissioner of Police on Monday, that the newly elected NWC would hold its inaugural meeting, also at the party’s secretariat at the same time. Anyanwu’s group had arrived earlier in the morning and began accreditation of supposed BoT and NEC members.

He boastfully told journalists that the Turki group would not come because the group’s supporters would repel them. But by 10:45 am the Oyo and Bauchi governors came in the same vehicle with Turaki.

And after a little scuffle, Anyanwu and group were chased out of the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) Hall, venue of the meeting. Turaki, who addressed journalists after gaining entrance into the secretariat, thanked the police for making sure “that we’ve gained entry into our secretariat and we are here addressing the gentlemen of the press.

“Now, however, due to some incidents that are called by those people who are the enemies of progress, who are the enemies of democracy, we have decided that this meeting will be postponed till tomorrow (Wednesday).” He appreciated PDP governors, members of National Assembly, former governors, former ministers, members of BoT, state chairmen, and members of the immediate past NWC members for their solidarity and support. “We in PDP are peace-loving people. We want peace to reign because we want to take over governance in this country.

And so, if we want to take over governance in this country, then we need to have a country in place. “And that is why we are taking all the steps we take to inform the police about the attempts that some people had planned to make today. And we have been vindicated,” Turaki said. He accused the other group of bringing thugs to the party’s secretariat, but commended the police for resisting them. Makinde, said they were at the secretariat on the invitation of the NWC, for their inaugural meeting, adding that the day of PDP was about to break.

“The highest organ of the party, which is the National Convention, supervised the election of the new managers of the party for the next four years. “But let me say it loud and clear, when the day is about to break, that is the darkest moment, so this is the darkest moment for PDP as a party because the day is about to break forth for a new PDP and for our democracy to be on a solid footing in Nigeria,” Makinde said. Attempt initially to take Turaki to the National Chairman’s office was resisted, as Anyanwu group who fled upstairs for protection, locked all the offices. As Mohammed, Makinde and others were about to leave the secretariat, Wike drove in.

He was prevented from gaining access into the premises but for the intervention of the police. For over two hours after he drove in, Wike remained inside his vehicle. Mohammed and Makinde told the Commissioner of Police that unless Wike leaves, they were ready to stay at the premises as well. They told him that the minister entered the premises illegally because he had been expelled from the party.

Former Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, who wanted to join Mohammed and Makinde at NEC Hall, was prevented from doing so by party supporters. By 12:45 p.m., police applied force to chase the people out of the premises, except Wike and the governors. At about 2:09 p.m., the minister eventually left the secretariat.

Turaki was later installed at the National Chairmanship office thereafter. Meanwhile, Anyanwu later announced the suspension of Mohammed, Makinde and others. He said the decision was taken after the faction’s NEC meeting. Anyanwu dismissed the Ibadan convention, adding that in the eyes of the law, the event did not hold.

“The Convention that never held (because) every communication to INEC for any congresses, convention, I must sign to that and I never communicated any letter to INEC for any convention. And there was no convention, as a matter of fact. There’s no convention anywhere. “It’s very clear that every convention must be monitored, supervised by INEC. INEC does the accreditation, the video for accreditation. These things were not done,” he said.