There was chaos at Wadata Plaza, the National Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja, today November 3, as supporters loyal to the party’s National Vice Chairman (North Central), Mohammed Abdulrahman, stormed the premises demanding the immediate exit of the Umar Damagum-led National Working Committee (NWC).
Chanting solidarity songs and waving placards, the protesters accused the Damagum leadership of “mismanaging party affairs” and vowed to “reclaim the party’s soul” for the Abdulrahman-led faction.
“We are here to take back our party. The era of impunity and manipulation is over,” one of the protesters declared.
The demonstration followed the latest twist in the PDP’s escalating leadership crisis. Last week, Abdulrahman was announced as the Acting National Chairman following the suspension of the party’s National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, for one month, a decision that further divided the opposition party.
In a counter move, the Anyanwu-led faction convened a separate meeting in Abuja, where it announced the suspension of Damagum and members of his NWC, deepening the power tussle between rival camps.
Security operatives have since been deployed to the party’s headquarters to prevent a breakdown of law and order as both factions jostled for control of the PDP’s national secretariat.
