*Laments: Nigeria’s democracy in grave danger

By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA – The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Tanimu Turaki (SAN), on Tuesday postponed the party’s inaugural National Working Committee (NWC) meeting after a tense standoff at the Wadata Plaza headquarters in Abuja.

Turaki said the session could not hold because ‘expelled elements’ stormed the secretariat with thugs and tear gas in an attempt to disrupt proceedings, warning that the incident signalled a deepening threat to Nigeria’s democracy.

Speaking during a separate press briefing at the secretariat, Turaki addressed journalists alongside several senior party figures, including governors, members of the National Assembly, former ministers, former governors, state chairmen and members of the Board of Trustees.

He explained that the party had taken steps ahead of time to notify the FCT Commissioner of Police about its meeting and received assurances that the legitimate leadership would be protected.

“Yesterday, I had an interface along with some members of the NWC with the Commissioner of Police of the FCT. I told him that we are coming today to have our inaugural NWC meeting… And he assured us that he is going to protect us,” Turaki recalled.

He said the police kept their word by ensuring his team gained entry into the secretariat despite the confrontation. However, the scale of disruption forced the leadership to shift the meeting to Wednesday.

“Now, however, due to some incidents that are caused by those people who are the enemies of progress, who are the enemies of democracy, we have decided that this meeting will be postponed till tomorrow,” the PDP declared.

According to Turaki, the attackers did not only come with thugs but also used tear gas that, in his view, did not appear to have been issued by the police. He insisted the chaos validated earlier concerns that those expelled by the National Convention were planning to illegally convene NEC and BoT meetings to undermine the party’s leadership.

“Members of the press, you’ve seen them, how they came with thugs armed to fight us. And I want to say it quite emphatically that this is not police tear gas. I don’t know how they procured this tear gas and they are spraying it on us,” he noted.

The PDP chairman warned that the incident was a dangerous signal for the country, insisting that Nigerians, and if necessary, the international community, must act to defend democratic institutions before it is too late.

“There is a serious threat to democracy in this country. As soon as democracy crumbles, then that will be the end of this country, God forbid. But for us in PDP… if it means that we lay down our lives for democracy to strive and survive in Nigeria, we are prepared to do that,” he warned.

Turaki stressed that the PDP remained committed to peaceful engagement and national stability, saying the party hoped to return to power through democratic means. He thanked stakeholders and journalists who stayed at the secretariat despite the tear gas and commotion.

“We in PDP are a peace-loving people. We want peace to reign because we want to take over governance in this country. And so, if we want to take over governance in this country, then we need to have a country in place,” Turaki noted.

He reaffirmed that the PDP NWC under his leadership was operating fully from the Wadata Plaza and would continue to provide leadership despite ongoing attempts to destabilise the party.

“I want to assure you that we have taken over our office and we will continue to give leadership and direction to this party from our national headquarters, which is the Wadata Plaza,” he claimed

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