The newly elected factional National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kabiru Turaki, on Tuesday issued an urgent appeal to United States (US) President Donald Trump.
Turaki also called on global democratic powers to intervene in what he described as Nigeria’s rapidly deteriorating political situation.
He made the call outside the PDP’s national secretariat at Wadata Plaza, Abuja, where rival factions later clashed violently, prompting security operatives to fire teargas to disperse the crowd.
According to reports, the confrontation sent party staff, members and journalists running for safety as tensions spiralled.
Speaking to newsmen, Turaki warned that Nigeria’s democracy was "under threat," saying the internal conflict within the PDP had escalated to a point that warranted international attention.
He accused the faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike of mobilising armed thugs to obstruct his group’s access to the secretariat and disrupt scheduled activities.
"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. I am calling all other developed nations, all advanced democracies, come and save Nigeria."
Turaki added that leaders in his faction were ready to make the "ultimate sacrifice" to defend the party’s mandate and safeguard the nation’s democratic institutions.
"We are willing to lay down our lives to protect our office, to protect democracy and to protect our mandate," he said.
The clashes erupted shortly before the Turaki-led National Working Committee and the Wike-backed bloc, led by factional National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, attempted to hold parallel National Executive Committee and Board of Trustees meetings at the same venue, an arrangement that further intensified the long-running power struggle.
Outside the secretariat, supporters from both camps continued to confront one another even after the teargas cleared, underscoring the deepening crisis within the beleaguered opposition party.
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