Wadata House PDP headquarters in Abuja: now occupied by policemen

Armed policemen on Sunday blocked the entrance to the premises of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Secretariat in Abuja.

No fewer than 40 policemen were seen within and outside the party’s secretariat.

Two police trucks, with registration no NPF 5209C and NPF2185C, were used to block the access road to the PDP Secretariat.

There were also other vehicles stationed at strategic locations within the environment.

All the entrance gates were also blocked as policemen formed human shield at the gates to prevent human and vehicular movement into the promises.

A police officer, who spoke to NAN on anonymity, said they were at the secretariat to secure it on the order of the Inspector-General of Police.

“We were just called and deployed from our base in Kubwa, that there is going to be a meeting here,” the officer said.

The officer, however, said that he did not know when the police would leave the secretariat.

It was not clear who gave the police the instruction to barricade the Wadata House headquarters of the party.

On Saturday, the convention of the party in Port Harcourt sacked interim chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and all the national executive and National working committee members. The Convention then set up a caretaker committee headed by Senator Ahmed Makarfi.

In Abuja, a parallel convention also asked Senator Ibrahim Mantu to serve as co-ordinator of a 57-man steering committee of the party.

And the former party chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff remains a floater.

Mr Osaro Onaiwu, the Director-General of the PDP Governors’ Forum, told newsmen that he was at the secretariat to find out what was going on.

“Today is Sunday and I got a text message that there is going to be a National Working Committee (NWC) meeting at the secretariat.

” I am here to find out if it is true or not.

“As DG of PDP governors’ forum, I cannot hear such information and ignore it because the governors are major stakeholders of the party,” Onaiwu said.

Asked if the security personnel were at the secretariat on the order of Sen. Makarfi Ahmed, the new PDP Caretaker Committee Chairman set up at Port Harcourt convention, Onaiwu said he was not sure.

“As I speak Makarfi Ahmed is in Port Harcourt,” he said.

Onaiwu who described the Port Harcourt convention as successful, expressed optimism that the party”s differences would be resolved.

“This is an in-house affair and it is going to be resolved. Even in a family you still have different interests.”