The leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party intensified on Saturday as the faction loyal to Kabiru Turaki accused the Nigeria Police Force of partisanship following the unsealing of the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
The police had earlier reopened the PDP headquarters in Wuse Zone 5 and another facility, Legacy House in Maitama, before handing control to a rival group led by Abdulrahman Mohammed, said to be aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Reacting, the Turaki-led camp faulted the action, describing it as a breach of neutrality in a dispute still pending before the courts.
The faction’s spokesperson, Ini Ememobong, in a statement, argued that the police ought to have refrained from intervening, warning that their action could undermine ongoing judicial proceedings.
He maintained that the ruling being relied upon by the police had already been challenged at the appellate level, stressing that the law enforcement agency was fully aware of the appeal.
According to him, the decision to reopen and hand over the secretariats amounted to interference in a matter under judicial consideration, a development he said could render any eventual judgment of the Court of Appeal ineffective.
Ememobong further criticised the conduct of the police, alleging a pattern of bias in handling the internal dispute within the opposition party.
He said although the faction had hoped for a more professional approach under the current Inspector-General of Police, recent actions had reinforced concerns about partiality.
Despite the development, the spokesperson urged members of the faction to remain calm and law-abiding, assuring them that legal measures were being pursued to address the situation.
He expressed optimism that the crisis would be resolved through due process, insisting that democratic principles would ultimately prevail.