Police seal off New PDP secretariat

The Police, on Saturday,  sealed off the secretariat of the Abubakar Baraje-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party located at Plot 4, Oyi River Crescent, Maitama, Abuja.

One of our correspondent, who visited the secretariat on Saturday, reports that riot policemen have taken over the two roads leading to the building.

The riot policemen, who were about 10 in number,  were led by an Inspector, Mr. Luka Dabo.

When our correspondent attempted to gain entrance into the building, he was stopped by Abubakar Binna, a Lance Corporal, who said that they were given an order “from above” not to allow anyone to enter the building.

He, however, declined to state who gave the order.

The riot policemen, who were all armed with guns, were overheard saying they might be at the place for the next few days.

An Armoured Personnel Carrier, with registration number NPF 5229C,was also seen parked at the entrance of the road leading to the building.

The Baraje-led New PDP however described the closure of its head office by the police as the height of impunity.

A statement issued by the National Secretary of the faction, Mr. Olagunsoye Oyinlola, in Abuja on Saturday, said security forces were mobilised to seal off the office on Saturday based on a “non-existent court injunction, which the main PDP faction claimed to have obtained on Friday.

The statement said, “The whole world knows that Justice E. Chukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Friday refused to grant Bamanga Tukur’s application for an ex parte injunction against our party’s executive.

“The judge asked the parties to maintain the status quo. His judgment was a reinforcement of an earlier order of the Lagos High Court, which also asked parties to maintain the status quo. Now, should Nigerians conclude that Tukur’s interpretation of status quo is this crude display of naked power and undisguised impunity?

“We are not at all surprised at this occurrence, given the fact that Tukur issued a statement on Friday evening deliberately seeking to mislead the media and the public that Justice Chukwu granted him an injunction against us.

“We are happy that the ever vigilant Nigerian press ignored him and his falsehood. Now, he is not only wilfully disobeying the various courts, which have made pronouncements on this matter, he is spicing up his love for impunity with this reckless misuse of state power by misleading the police.

“We call for an immediate removal of the siege to our secretariat. We call on the Inspector-General of Police to order the immediate removal of his men from our office. Doing so, we believe, will serve the interest of justice, rule of law and democracy. Nigeria is a country ruled by law and not by might and force.

“We hasten to say that if this move is aimed at breaking our spirit, that goal is definitely off the mark. We are determined to rescue our party from the lawlessness and crass arrogance that have defined the character of the Tukur leadership since inception. Our party needs that deliverance; its members deserve the change we have brought into it,” the statement said.

But the Bamanga Tukur-led  PDP defended the action, arguing that by ordering that the parties in the dispute maintain status quo ante bellum until the determination of the case, “the court clearly granted the request of the PDP that the group led by Baraje should not operate or be recognised by INEC.”

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh, in a statement in Abuja on Saturday, applauded the sealing off of the secretariat opened by the Baraje group, noting that it was in line with the order of the court which held that the splinter group should not operate or parade itself as the leader of the PDP until the hearing of the suit before it.

The statement said, “Our attention has been drawn to reports by a section of the media erroneously suggesting that the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja did not accede to our prayer that INEC should not recognise the  so-called new PDP-led by  Baraje.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the position of the Federal High Court is clear. By ordering that the two parties maintain status quo ante bellum, the court has clearly ordered the Baraje group to stop all its activities including operating a secretariat while it affirmed the leadership of the PDP under Tukur.

“By the order of the court, no person is authorised by law to open a secretariat or operate under the name, colour and flag of the PDP other than the one led by Tukur.  The sealing off of the secretariat opened by the Baraje group under the name, colour and flag of the PDP is therefore in order and in line with the law”.

Metuh urged all members “to  close ranks and remain steadfast to the constitution of the party especially as it marches on to victory in the 2015 general elections.”

Similarly, the Federal Capital Territory Police Command has defended the action.

The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Altienne Daniel, in an interview with Sunday PUNCH, said, “It is true that we deployed policemen to the Maitama office of the PDP and the Wadata Plaza headquarters of the party based on a court order which directed the parties to maintain the status quo. The police at the two offices did not prevent anyone from entering or leaving the offices, they were just there to prevent a breach of the peace and to enforce the order of the court.”

In a related development, security aides attached to a former Governor of Kwara State, Dr. Bukola Saraki  and Baraje have been withdrawn.

Saraki said, “I was surprised because the security aides were supported by law. Even those attached to me in Abuja have also been withdrawn. It is that bad.”

Baraje also said, “Yes, it is true. My security aides have been withdrawn. I don’t know why that was done. So, if anything happens to me, you need not ask where it came from. My life is in danger.”

Meanwhile, the PDP Elders Committee, headed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has begun writing its reports based on the meeting the elders had with the different factions of the party in Abuja on Friday.

Investigations by our correspondent in Abuja on Saturday showed that members of the committee met shortly after they ended their meeting with the two factions on Friday afternoon.

Those at the meeting, apart from Obasanjo, were a former military dictator, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (retd.); former chairmen of the party, Dr. Ahmad’s Ali, Sen. Barnabas Gemade  and Chairman, Board of Trustees of the party, Chief Tony Anenih.

Both chiefs Solomon Lar and Alex Ekwueme were absent at the meeting as they were said to have travelled outside the country.

It was learnt that the committee is under pressure to recommend that President Goodluck Jonathan should drop his second term ambition.

It is, however, not clear if the committee will include it in its report, but a source close to one of the factions said that the committee is under intense pressure to ask the President to sacrifice his second term ambition.

The source said, “The committee is under very serious pressure to recommend that President Jonathan should forget his second term.

“This is because, some people argue that the President would have done six years by 2015 and doing another four years would amount to third term. They are saying that the Constitution stipulates that the President can only be in office for eight years and if he is allowed for another four years, he would have done 10 years, which to them amount to third term.”

President Jonathan is expected to meet with some governors in Abuja on Tuesday.

It is not clear what the agenda of the meeting would be, but our correspondent gathered that the President would have dinner with them on that date.