PDP Headquarters Sealed Off As Sheriff, Others Fight Ahead In Abuja

Armed policemen have taken over the national headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party in Abuja. This step, which was noticed on Sunday, was said to have been carried out by the police to prevent the breakdown of law and order at the party's secretariat due to the issue of factions.

The party's national chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff, was reportedly removed at the party’s convention which took place in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Saturday.

Sheriff has insisted that his sack and that of members of the National Working Committee is a nullity.

Constitutionally, the ex-Borno State governor’s tenure expires on Saturday.

But some officers of the party, like the National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo, and the National Auditor, Adewole Adeyanju, including Sheriff, are in court, contesting their tenure.

They had secured a court order, restraining the party from filling their offices at the convention. Sheriff said the court action and the claim by the Independent National Electoral Commission that it would not monitor election into the above three offices were part of the reasons why he called off the convention.

He said he and members of his NWC were to meet at the party secretariat on Sunday.

Sources say the policemen were deployed in the party's secretariat to prevent Sheriff and some members of his "sacked" NWC from meeting at the secretariat.

Sheriff had said the emergency meeting of his NWC would hold at the secretariat on Sunday (yesterday). But no fewer than 30 armed policemen, who were led by an assistant superintendent of police, Mr. Ime Obot, prevented journalists from entering or coming close to the building.

Five security vehicles were packed around the building. No entry, no exit for both Sheriff and other groups.

Governor Nyesom Wike, who was one of those Sheriff had promised to make his VP candidate in secret but later got to know that the man was deceiving him, spoke after the convention in Port Harcourt:

"All along, the crisis has been about the former acting chairman whose emergence was strongly opposed. This is destabilising the party and so, we had to let him go. What is important is the party and not an individual. No sacrifice is too much for anyone to make as far as PDP is concerned.”