PDP national secretariat to reopen Monday, by Anyanwu

*Says no faction within the party

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

Strong indications have emerged that the national headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Abuja, which has been sealed by the police since November last year, will be reopened by Monday next week.

The court recognized National Secretary of the PDP, Senator Samuel Anyanwu dropped this hint on Thursday, while answering questions from journalists after the consultative meeting between the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and Chairmen as well as Secretaries of registered political parties in the country.

The national secretariat of the of the PDP, popularly known as “Wadata House’ was sealed off by the police following the leadership crisis that broke up in the party and factionalised it into two.

Each of the two factions began to lay claim to the national headquarters of the party.

While a faction of the party, led by Alhaji Abdulrahman Mohammed and Senator Samuel Anyanwu, is loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT Mr Nyesom Wike, the other one is under the National Championship of Dr Tanimu Kabiru Turaki, SAN.

When asked why the PDP national secretary had not been in use for some time, Senator Anyanwu replied, “Remember the police sealed the place and the other group went to court to ask police to open it. But the matter was refused because they have no locus standi. So by Monday we will be going back to our office”.

He expressed the firm optimism that PDP will field candidates in the forthcoming FCT Area Councils’ election.

His words, “On FCT election: We are going to hit the ground only with campaign untill the campaign will stop.

“Our party members are already happy because those who are afraid that we will not have candidates in the coming elections, it is now settled that the party will fill candidates from A to Z.

“So, we’re happy that power has come to the party. You can see the difference because we have old hands, people who have been in the party for long time”.

Continuing, Anyanwu said, “In PDP have no problem, we have no faction, we have just one PDP in Nigeria, as we can see today, under the leadership of my Chairman, Abdullahi Mohammed”.