The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Tanimu Turaki, SAN, has promised to stop supporters of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, from taking over the party’s National Headquarters.
The Turaki-led leadership called the Wike-backed faction aggressors and claimed that the former camp should be held responsible for any violation of peace, according to Daily Trust.
Senator Samuel Anyanwu, the factional National Caretaker Secretary, said at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office yesterday that they want to take over the office on Monday.
The problems at the PDP headquarters started in November when supporters of various factions fought each other.
The next day, police blocked the office to keep both sides, who had promised to storm the building, from getting in.
But Anyanwu repeated their intentions yesterday when he spoke to reporters at the INEC headquarters.
He said, “We sent a letter to the police.” Keep in mind that the police locked the place up, and then the other group went to court to beg the police to open it. The case was thrown out because they don’t have the right to be there. So we are moving into the workplace on Monday.
Comrade Ini Ememobong, the National Publicity Secretary of the Turaki-led leadership, said that they had been told that “some expelled members” of the party wanted to either forcibly or with the help of security forces get into and occupy the National Secretariat.
He also said that they had sent letters to the Inspector General of Police and the Commissioner of Police for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command to remind them that the secretariat is still the subject of litigation before the Federal High Court, Abuja, and the Court of Appeal.
He said, “Anyone who tries to enter and occupy these properties will be breaking the law and disrespecting the long-standing principle that people who have agreed to the jurisdiction of courts should not do things that will make the Court’s powers useless.”
He said that the “expelled members” started the lawsuit that is now before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, and that “they cannot resort to self-help until judgment is delivered in the matter.”
The leadership led by Turaki also warned that the statement is a reminder to all the people involved, especially the Police Force, which is a party to the case, that “any action taken to grant access to anybody, pending the determination of the suit, is a contempt of the court.”
“We promise to use every legal means at our disposal to protect our property from trespass.” He argued that the aggressors and their security partners should be the only ones responsible for any injuries or damage to property that happen as a result.
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