In a dramatic turn of events, the Acting Chairman of the Senator Samuel Anyanwu-led faction of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Abdulrahman Mohammed, yesterday stormed the National Secretariat of the party to assume leadership.
Mohammed took over the affairs of the party amidst tight security. He was received by the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu.
There was tension at the secretariat when a group of staff members, reportedly aided by external forces, attempted to forcibly evict Senator Anyanwu from his office on the third floor.
It was gathered the group tried to break into the National Secretary’s office but met stiff resistance from policemen stationed at the secretariat, who fired tear gas and used minimal force to disperse them.
To prevent a total breakdown of law and order, security operatives subsequently ordered all staff, journalists and visitors to vacate the premises before locking the main entrance.
There were speculations the Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagun, who was suspended by the Anyanwu-faction was meeting with members of his National Working Committee (NWC).
But as of the time of this report, there was no information about the outcome of the meeting.
The crisis rocking the party peaked with the suspension of Senator Anyanwu by the Damagun-led NWC and a counter suspension of Damagun and others by the Anyanwu-led group.
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday ordered the suspension of the elective national Convention of the party.
Accompanied by supporters, Mohammed arrived at the Wadata national secretariat of the party around 11 am and proceeded to the office of the National Chairman, where he addressed journalists after being received by Anyanwu, declaring his mission was to restore unity within the opposition party and reposition it ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He was later taken round the secretariat by the embattled National Secretary before settling into the chairman’s office.
Addressing journalists, Mohammed said: “Today is another good day for the PDP family across Nigeria. You can see that everyone is happy to have a new leadership in the PDP. I am here as the Acting National Chairman of our great party, and by the grace of God, under my leadership, I will do everything possible to bring everyone together under one umbrella.
“PDP is beyond one individual. We will work as a team to ensure a smooth process that will lead to a successful outing in 2027 and pledged to engage stakeholders across the country to heal divisions within the party and restore the confidence of its members and supporters.
He said “We will liaise with everyone, hear from them, and receive their guidance to make PDP one united family again. By the grace of God, we will sustain our slogan — power to the people — because power belongs to the people. We are confident that we will reclaim power in 2027″
While responding to questions on how the party plans to unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the midst of internal crises and pending congresses, Mohammed said his faction will be guided by the party’s constitution.
He said: “We are assuring Nigerians that by 2027, power will return to the PDP. We are currently reviewing our constitution to ensure that all organs of the party function effectively. We will normalize structures across the 36 states and the FCT to guarantee a smooth internal process.”
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