Abuja – Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has appealed directly to US President Donald Trump and other major democracies to intervene and safeguard the country’s democratic system, which the party claims is under threat.
The appeal was made by the newly elected National Chairperson of the PDP, Kabiru Turaki, on Tuesday, shortly after a meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) was abruptly postponed due to chaos at its national secretariat in Abuja.
Call for International Intervention
Mr. Turaki, a former Minister of Special Duties, specifically referenced President Trump’s recent warnings about Nigeria to justify his unusual request for foreign intervention.
“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. Democracy is under threat,” Mr. Turaki told journalists. “I am calling on all other developed nations, all advanced democracies, come and save Nigeria, come and save democracy.”
The call comes after President Trump recently designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged religious freedom violations and threatened possible US military action to “wipe out the radical Islamic terrorist” groups responsible for claimed attacks on Christians.
Chaos and Expulsions at PDP Headquarters
The disruption that forced the postponement of the NEC meeting until Wednesday stemmed from a deep-seated crisis within the PDP, which has been exacerbated by the recent party convention held in Ibadan over the weekend.
During the convention, Mr. Turaki emerged as the new National Chairperson, but several prominent figures were expelled, including Nyesom Wike, the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) administration. Mr. Wike has been backing a faction challenging the party’s new leadership.
Others expelled include former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose and the party’s former National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu. The expelled faction has rejected the convention’s outcome, citing court orders.
The internal schism escalated into an apparent physical confrontation on Tuesday as both sides attempted to access the NEC hall at the national secretariat:
- Clash: The two factions clashed, resulting in police firing tear gas both inside and outside the premises to disperse officials and supporters.
- Minister Accused: Mr. Turaki directly accused FCT Minister Wike of storming the secretariat with “armed thugs” and alleged that police officers aided the disruption.
- Verbal Exchange: Amid the chaos, Mr. Wike engaged in a heated verbal exchange with the Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, and the Chairperson of the PDP Governors Forum, Bala Mohammed. The two governors insisted that Mr. Wike, having been expelled, should be ordered out of the secretariat by police.
Mr. Turaki concluded by reiterating his commitment to defending the party’s mandate and Nigeria’s democracy, even at personal risk, while renewing his plea to the international community.
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