The National chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Kabiru Turaki has called on US President Donald Trump to intervene in the internal crisis of the Party, claiming the country’s democracy is under threat.
Turaki, made the appeal on Tuesday at the party’s secretariat, Wadata Plaza, Abuja amid a standoff between his group and another led by Samuel Anyanwu.
“I want to call on President Trump, what is at stake is not just genocide against Christians, he should come and save democracy in Nigeria. Democracy is under threat, I am calling all other developed nations, all advanced democracy, come and save Nigeria,” Turaki said.
Chaos broke out earlier when rival groups and their supporters clashed at the party’s secretariat. Turaki, governors Bala Mohammed of Bauchi and his Oyo State counterpart, Seyi Makinde, among others had arrived at the venue but were initially prevented from entering.
Police officers had to fire teargas to disperse the crowd but Turaki and his entourage later gained access to the secretariat.
Addressing the press after the incident, the PDP chieftain said he had assumed office as the party’s national chairman.
“Now, we have driven them out of the secretariat, and, as you can see, I have entered my office; I have assumed leadership as the elected chairman,” he said, vowing to defend democracy.
He said, “we shall continue to act as the vanguards of democracy,” and believes the “PDP is back on course” despite the crisis.
Narating what transpired, Turaki said, “We have been tear-gassed, and I think more than 50 canisters of tear gas had been shot at us. But we remained relentless and will continue to remain relentless”.
Tuesday’s incident was a fallout of a convention held by a group in the party in Ibadan, Oyo State.
At the convention, Turaki was elected as the PDP chairman, alongside other members of the executive.
They expelled the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike; ex-governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose; Samuel Anyanwu and others.
However, the group loyal to Wike has tagged the Ibadan convention as a “jamboree”.
In fact, it expelled Makinde; Bode George and other chieftains of the party who attended the Ibadan convention, adding a fresh spin to the PDP crisis which has lasted for more than two years
