By Atoyebi Nike
Tension rose around the Peoples Democratic Party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday as supporters of the Nyesom Wike-backed faction occupied the surrounding streets, demanding the removal of National Chairman Tanimu Turaki, SAN.
The crowd, made up largely of women and youth groups, displayed placards bearing messages such as “No to Turaki” and “Turaki must go.”
Turaki, a former Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, was elected National Chairman at a contentious convention on Saturday, which the Wike faction refused to attend.
Both camps had scheduled separate executive meetings for Tuesday, but the Wike-aligned bloc moved in early, taking control of the area by 9:45 a.m.
Led by the recently sacked Acting National Chairman, Abdulrahman Mohammed, the faction arrived with strong police backing. Armed security personnel quickly spread out, securing major access points around Wadata Plaza and the secretariat building.
At the time of filing this report, members of the Kabiru-led faction had yet to arrive at the PDP headquarters.
