Tension at PDP Headquarters as Police Barricade NEC Meeting, Bar BoT Members
ABUJA A heavy police presence on Monday paralyzed activities at Wadata Plaza, the national headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as armed operatives sealed off the premises ahead of the party’s crucial National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.
Security operatives, acting on what they described as “orders from above,” barred members of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) including senior figures like Maina Chiroma from entering the NEC hall to hold their scheduled pre-caucus meeting. The confrontation forced the visibly frustrated BoT members to disperse.
A former PDP National Secretary, Umar Tsauri, told Channels Television that the police intervention was unprovoked and aimed at stifling internal party deliberations. According to him, officers stationed at the gate prevented BoT members from accessing the venue, effectively sabotaging the planned meeting.
Further escalating the standoff, police officers later ejected party staff initially allowed into the secretariat and ordered journalists covering the events to vacate the premises. Meanwhile, officers cordoned off Dalaba Street, the main access road to Wadata Plaza, heightening the tension in the area.
A party official, speaking on condition of anonymity, alleged that the police deployment was specifically intended to thwart the NEC’s Expanded Caucus Meeting, suggesting interference in the PDP’s internal affairs.
The PDP leadership has yet to issue an official statement on the incident, but the developments have sparked concerns about political intimidation and deepening internal crises within the opposition party.
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Tension at PDP Headquarters as Police Barricade NEC Meeting, Bar BoT Members