Suspected thugs stormed an event centre in Abuja on Saturday. They disrupted a gathering of PDP officials who had just relocated from their initial venue.
The Kabiru Turaki-led faction of the party's Interim National Working Committee had organized the disruption-hit meeting. Party leaders were interacting with police personnel when the attack occurred.
Earlier, the group convened at their Area 10 office in Abuja for a Special National Convention. Security personnel had barricaded the A-Class Event Centre, forcing them to change locations.
At the Area 10 venue, party officials ratified former President Goodluck Jonathan as their presidential candidate for 2027. After the brief ceremony, leadership decided to return to the A-Class Event Centre.
Minutes after Turaki concluded his remarks, the trouble began. Two coaster buses pulled up carrying armed hoodlums wielding heavy sticks.
Party leaders, journalists, and other stakeholders scattered for their safety. One journalist lost a mobile phone to the attackers during the chaos.
Police and security personnel at the venue eventually restored order. The violent incident forced the gathering to end abruptly.
Before the assault, Turaki, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, spoke passionately about constitutional rights. He told the crowd that PDP members possess the right to associate and convene.
According to him, the faction would pursue victory through ballots, not violence. "No matter how highly opinionated they may be about themselves, or no matter how they think that they can use their positions to thwart democracy, we want to tell them that Nigeria is bigger than anybody and any group of persons," he said.
Turaki stressed the party's commitment to peaceful conduct. In his words, the real contest would happen at the polling stations during elections.
"We will not fight. The time of fighting will come when we meet at the polls.
We will meet you there, we'll fight you there, we'll defeat you there, and then we will pin you down on the ground," the SAN remarked.
He appealed to party delegates to return home safely. Turaki urged them to resist any provocation from opponents.
"I want to plead with our delegates, please go back to your respective destinations. Resist any amount of provocation," he stated at the venue.
According to Turaki, those resorting to violence lacked confidence in their chances. He expressed conviction that their faction would emerge victorious in the general elections.
"Any person you see trying to fight, believe that he does not have the chances of winning. We believe we are on the right course.
We believe that we are going to win the election. Therefore, fighting is not for us," he noted.
Turaki commended party faithful for attending the special convention in large numbers. He thanked delegates for their show of unity and support for the faction.
