Police vacate PDP national secretariat

The national secretariat of the crisis-ridden Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which was sealed off 10 days ago on the directive of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Solomon Arase has been re-opened.

The directive by the IGP was sequel to the various factions laying claim to the National Chairmanship of the opposition party.

When the national secretariat of the PDP was vacated on Tuesday by the policemen laying siege there, only the establishment staff were allowed access into the secretariat after being properly identified.

Staff who were able to produce their identity cards with their names already on this list at the gate were allowed to enter the secretariat.

Efforts by the newly elected Secretary of Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party, Chief Ojo Maduekwe to address the workers on Tuesday were unsuccessful.

The planned event was later shifted till today (Wednesday).

Chief Maduekwe, however, visited the secretariat around noon.

In a brief chat with journalists, Maduekwe said, “We (BoT members) requested for police to un-seal the place so that workers can resume work.‎”

Asked if he would be coming with the National Caretaker Committee to address the workers on Wednesday, he smiled and said they (members of PDP caretaker committee) would be coming on their own.

It would be recalled that the PDP national secretariat was sealed off on May 22, a day after the PDP Port Harcourt National Convention that sacked the former National Working Committee (NWC) and appointed a National Caretaker Committee.

The Police, in sealing off the secretariat, attributed the decision to an intelligence report that indicated that some aggrieved factional leaders and members of PDP‎ have perfected plans to engage thugs from across the country to threaten public peace and security in Abuja.