New National Chairman Postpones PDP NEC Meeting Amid Crisis
A fresh wave of tension rocked the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday as the two rival factions led by Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, and newly sworn-in national chairman, Tanimu Turaki, clashed over control of the party’s secretariat and its scheduled National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings.
The crisis escalated after both factions fixed parallel NEC meetings for the same venue, the PDP National Secretariat at Wadata Plaza, Abuja, prompting heavy security deployment and an early-morning showdown.
Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who leads the faction aligned with Wike, had scheduled the group’s Board of Trustees (BoT) meeting for 10 a.m., and the NEC meeting for 2 p.m. Turaki’s faction also fixed its own NEC session for 8 a.m. The conflicting schedules prompted Anyanwu’s camp to storm the secretariat earlier than expected, arriving with a strong security escort by 7 a.m.
Amid the tensions, Governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State forced their way into the PDP NEC Hall, heightening the already strained atmosphere at the party headquarters.
Speaking during a live broadcast monitored by Newspeakonline, Turaki announced the postponement of his faction’s NEC meeting to Wednesday, November 19, citing attempts by those he called “enemies of democracy” to disrupt proceedings.
“I want to thank the Commissioner of Police for FCT. I told him that we were coming today to have our inaugural NWC meeting along with many of our party leaders to witness this historic moment.
“I also informed him that I had seen on social media some fliers purporting to give notice of NEC and BoT meetings by people who are no longer members of this party, and he assured us of protection. I am happy that the Commissioner fulfilled his promise by allowing us into our secretariat,” Turaki said.
He added that the postponement became necessary due to incidents at the secretariat, saying: “Because of some incidents caused by enemies of progress and democracy, we have decided to postpone this meeting till tomorrow.”
Turaki called for calm among party members, declaring that the PDP remains “a peace-loving party committed to restoring harmony within its ranks and across the country.”