By Idowu Adebomi, Ado Ekiti
The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kabiru Turaki, on Tuesday appealed to United States President Donald Trump and the wider international community to intervene in Nigeria’s political climate, warning that the country’s democracy is “under threat” as a bitter internal crisis escalates within the opposition party.
Speaking to journalists moments before his faction attempted to convene a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, Turaki accused the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, of leading armed thugs allegedly backed by police officers to disrupt PDP 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,” Turaki said. “Democracy is under threat. I am calling on all other developed nations, all advanced democracies, come and save Nigeria.” He added that party leaders are prepared to “lay down our lives to protect our office, to protect democracy and to protect our mandate”
The plea came minutes before chaos erupted at the PDP’s national secretariat in Wadata Plaza. Two rival blocs—one backed by the expelled minister Nyesom Wike and the other the newly constituted National Working Committee (NWC) loyal to Turaki—had scheduled parallel NEC meetings for the same day. Tensions flared when Samuel Anyanwu, the national secretary aligned with Wike, arrived with supporters for a separate Board of Trustees (BoT) and NEC session. Verbal exchanges quickly turned into scuffles as both camps jostled for control of the premises. Turaki’s faction eventually forced the Wike loyalists out, seizing the office.
Police on the scene struggled to restore order and eventually ordered everyone, including senior party officials, to evacuate the compound. The confrontation escalated further when officers fired teargas canisters to disperse the crowd, sending party members, staff and journalists scattering in panic. Many were seen coughing, shielding their faces and fleeing toward nearby streets in a chaotic stampede. Outside the secretariat, clashes continued as supporters from both sides brandished sticks and other objects, heightening tensions around the embattled opposition party .
The PDP crisis, which has deepened ahead of key internal decisions, remains unresolved as both factions continue to assert authority. The party’s leadership now faces the dual challenge of managing internal discord while appealing for external support amid growing concerns over Nigeria’s democratic stability.
