The crisis inside the Peoples Democratic Party deepens on Tuesday as the Publicity Secretary elected at the Ibadan convention, Ini Ememobong Essien, condemns the police for dispersing PDP officials and journalists at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
In a statement reported by Mediaplusng.com, Essien calls on President Bola Tinubu to call the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to order. He says security operatives act improperly when they fire tear gas to disperse party members and journalists gathered at Wadata Plaza.
Essien tells reporters that several PDP governors are affected in the confrontation. He explains that the police receive clear briefings on the party’s concerns during a meeting between the national chairman and the Commissioner of Police on Monday. According to him, officers allow entry for individuals earlier expelled from the party while blocking governors, the national chairman, and legitimate members from entering the premises.
This account is also confirmed by Mediaplusng.com.
He says, “You have been tear-gassed. All of us know the truth. Today, some governors have been tear-gassed — for what reason? Yesterday, the chairman of our party met with the Commissioner of Police, and we stated the issues clearly. But this morning, they aided people expelled from the party and prevented the rightful members from entering.”
Essien accuses Wike of fueling multiple internal disputes and appeals to President Tinubu to intervene, warning that ignoring the situation could damage Nigeria’s democratic history. He notes that President Tinubu once led the opposition without facing such treatment and urges him to stop interfering in the affairs of opposition parties.
According to him, “This one individual has had problems with almost everyone, including fellow ministers. If the president cannot call his minister to order, history will remember him as the leader who weakened the republic.”
Earlier in the day, supporters of the Wike-led faction take control of the streets around Wadata Plaza in Wuse Zone 5, Abuja. They carry placards with inscriptions such as “No to Turaki” and “Turaki Must Go,” protesting the emergence of Turaki as National Chairman after a disputed convention boycotted by the Wike faction.
Both the Turaki-led camp and the Wike-led camp issue notices for executive meetings at the national secretariat, creating further tension within the party.
