‘People Could Have Been Killed’ – PDP Nat’l Secretary Condemns Violent Standoff

The newly elected National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ini Ememobong, has condemned Tuesday’s violent confrontation at the party’s headquarters in Abuja, saying the clash was so severe that “people could have been killed.”

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday after his emergence at the Ibadan national convention, Ememobong described the chaos as a frightening sign of Nigeria’s deteriorating democratic culture.

“Today, people could have been killed. People were injured. The canisters were shot directly at people. Many elderly people have comorbidities. Some have asthma. Some are hypertensive,” he said, warning that several Nigerians had previously died from inhaling tear gas.

The lawyer also questioned the legitimacy of the disputed meeting that sparked the unrest, saying the process failed to meet basic democratic standards.

“Is that a NEC meeting? Every NEC meeting must be monitored by INEC. It’s very shameful and a pity that this is happening after six election cycles. Democratic consolidation should be firm. Democratic norms should be valued but every election cycle seems to be getting worse,” he said.

He accused the ruling party of creating a hostile environment for opposition politics, suggesting that the government appeared indifferent to the risks faced by citizens.

“When it gets to the point where it looks as though all the ruling party wants is blood to water democracy, what the chairman is saying is that if it means our blood watering it, then so be it. It looks like until blood falls, the President does not understand. This happened less than 400 metres from where the President is,” he said.

He insisted that Nigerians must confront these threats through lawful means to prevent what he called electoral authoritarianism.

THE WHISTLER reports that violence erupted earlier on Tuesday when police fired tear gas to disperse rival factions struggling for control of the PDP secretariat. Supporters of Senator Samuel Anyanwu attempted to block the arrival of Governors Seyi Makinde and Bala Mohammed, who came with the Turaki-led group.

FCT Minister Nyesom Wike remained inside his vehicle for over 30 minutes as the chaos unfolded. Anyanwu, insisting he remained National Secretary, said he had invited security to handle “intruders.”

Hours later, Kabiru Turaki announced he had taken control of the secretariat as National Chairman. A pro-Wike NEC then moved to expel Makinde, Mohammed, Dauda Lawal, Bode George, Wabara and Turaki, while dissolving six state executive committees.

This followed the Ibadan convention where 11 members including Wike, Fayose and Anyanwu were expelled, a decision that some governors openly opposed. Anyanwu later accused PDP governors of worsening the crisis but insisted the party was not dead.

Addressing the legal dimension of the dispute, Ememobong explained that conflicting court rulings had further complicated the situation.

“No court has jurisdiction over internal affairs of the party. That is the Supreme Court’s position. But if a court, suo motu or after an argument, assumes jurisdiction, we respect the court.

“Two Federal High Courts assumed jurisdiction and gave judgments. The court in Ibadan assumed jurisdiction. It’s not my duty to determine correctness. Lawyers will canvas arguments. The courts will rule,” he said.

He added that the Court of Appeal and, ultimately, the Supreme Court would provide clarity saying it would enrich jurisprudence.