PDP chairman calls for international help as party’s crisis worsens

Kabiru Turaki, National Chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), has appealed to Donald Trump, United States President, and the international community to intervene in Nigeria’s political climate, warning that the country’s democracy was “under threat” as internal crises rocking the PDP escalated in Abuja.

Turaki, speaking to journalists on Tuesday before the PDP faction he leads attempted to hold a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, accused Nyesom Wike, FCT minister, of leading armed thugs with the alleged backing of police officers to disrupt party activities.

He said the situation had reached a level that required global 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, I am calling all other developed nations, all advanced democracies, come and save Nigeria.”

Turaki said the party leaders are ready to pay the ultimate price to protect the country’s democracy.

“I have said it, we are willing to lay down our lives to protect our office, to protect democracy, and to protect our mandate,” he said.

His comments came minutes before chaos erupted at the PDP’s national secretariat in Wadata Plaza, where two rival blocs — the Nyesom Wike-backed faction and the newly constituted National Working Committee (NWC) loyal to Turaki—scheduled parallel meetings on the same day.

Tensions spiked when Samuel Anyanwu, the national secretary aligned with Wike, arrived with supporters for a separate Board of Trustees (BoT) and NEC meeting. Heated verbal exchanges quickly escalated into scuffles as both camps jostled for control of the premises.

Police operatives on the ground struggled to manage the situation and eventually ordered everyone, including senior party officials, to evacuate the compound. The confrontation worsened shortly after, prompting officers to fire tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd.

The sudden deployment of teargas sent party members, staff, and journalists scattering in panic. Many people were seen coughing, shielding their faces, and fleeing toward nearby streets in a chaotic stampede.

Outside the secretariat, clashes continued as supporters from both sides brandished sticks and other objects, further heightening tensions around the embattled opposition party.

The PDP crisis, which has deepened ahead of key internal decisions, remains unresolved as both factions continue to assert authority.