…Police fire teargas
The leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) reached a breaking point yesterday, as rival factions clashed violently at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja, forcing Police to fire teargas to disperse supporters.
The confrontation unfolded just hours after the new PDP National Chairman, Kabiru Turaki, issued an extraordinary appeal to U.S. President Donald Trump and the international community, warning that Nigeria’s democracy was “under threat” as tensions escalated within the opposition party.
Turaki, who leads one of the two contending PDP blocs, accused Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike of deploying armed thugs and using police backing to disrupt party activities. “I want to call on President Trump… come and save democracy in Nigeria. We are willing to lay down our lives to protect our office, to protect democracy and to protect our mandate”, he told newsmen.
Chaos erupted minutes later at Wadata Plaza, where both Turaki’s faction and the Wike-backed bloc led by National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu scheduled parallel National Executive Council (NEC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) meetings. The arrival of Governors Seyi Makinde and Bala Mohammed, alongside Turaki’s team, triggered a standoff with supporters loyal to Anyanwu.
Police struggled to control the rival groups as arguments escalated into physical clashes. Officers eventually ordered everyone out of the compound, but tensions worsened, prompting the deployment of teargas. Party members, staff and journalists fled the premises in panic, with many coughing and shielding their faces as canisters detonated across the area.
Outside the secretariat, supporters on both sides continued to exchange blows and wield sticks, deepening the chaos around the already fractured party. Wike, who arrived at the scene but stayed in his vehicle for over 30 minutes, maintained alignment with Anyanwu’s faction.
Governors Makinde and Mohammed later condemned the violence, recounting the resistance they faced from Wike-aligned supporters as they attempted to convene the Turaki-led NEC meeting.
The PDP remains deeply divided, with both factions insisting on their legitimacy as the battle for control of the opposition party shows no sign of easing.
