The Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, and the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Governors Forum has said that the forum would no longer tolerate the activities of some individuals whom he accused of trying to dismantle the party.
Mohammed took to his official social media handle on Tuesday in reaction to the blockade experience at the Party’s National Secretariat in Abuja alongside his counterpart from Oyo State, Governor Seyi Makinde, the newly elected Party Chairman, and others.
He said that: “As Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, I must state clearly: enough is enough. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) does not belong to any individual; it belongs to Nigerians.
“Regarding the troubling police blockade of our party’s national secretariat, I reaffirm that the PDP Governors’ Forum will not stand by and watch the party be dismantled by those who neither understand its founding principles nor respect its future.”
He added that they are fully committed to working with the newly constituted National Working Committee (NWC) to safeguard the national secretariat, uphold internal democracy, and protect the integrity of the party.
“We shall do so with unity, strategic coordination, and an unshakable commitment to the rule of law,” he said.
“Let me be clear: the PDP will not be cowed, harassed, or silenced. We have weathered greater storms and emerged stronger. This moment will be no different. We will rise from it more united and more determined.
“I must also caution the presidency: it is a dangerous precedent to empower individuals who lack both character and commitment to democratic values, individuals who misuse state power to settle internal political disputes.
“Such actions do not serve our country, and they certainly do not serve the PDP. Rather, they undermine the very institutions that bind our democracy together.”
Chaos erupted at the national headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja on Tuesday as rival factions clashed violently, leaving journalists injured, television equipment destroyed, and party meetings aborted.
The confrontation began at dawn when the faction led by Mohammed Abdulrahman gained early control of the secretariat around 7:30 am, locking out the camp loyal to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, whose group had recently elected Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN) as National Chairman.
By 11:00 a.m., Governors Bala Mohammed and Seyi Makinde arrived with supporters to assert their faction’s authority, escorting Turaki toward the complex while the Abdulrahman faction was holding a Board of Trustees (BoT) meeting. Their arrival sparked pandemonium as thugs from both camps surged toward the entrance.
Policemen deployed to the scene fired teargas to disperse the crowd, forcing party members, staff, and journalists to flee. The melee quickly escalated into physical confrontations, with party loyalists engaging in fistfights at the gates.
