By Ayo Ayodele
Violence broke out at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national headquarters in Abuja on Thursday afternoon, shortly after an emergency meeting of the Board of Trustees (BoT) began.
The unrest was sparked by a dispute over the position of National Secretary, with two contenders—Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye—both insisting on participating in the 79th BoT meeting and each taking a seat at the high table.
The situation escalated when Udeh-Okoye was forcibly removed from the hall by Anyanwu’s aide, Emmanuel Okoronkwo, along with security personnel. Udeh-Okoye resisted and demanded that his supporters, who had scaled the party’s main fence, be allowed entry.
Okoronkwo, who had previously been involved in an incident with a journalist at the PDP secretariat, slapped Udeh-Okoye before helping to physically eject him from the venue.
Security personnel initially attempted to control the chaos with pepper spray, but tensions flared again when Udeh-Okoye returned, accompanied by around ten men wearing black T-shirts. Police officers and the PDP Chief Security Officer were seen trying to defuse the situation.
Outside the headquarters, more than 50 supporters from both factions had gathered, further intensifying the standoff.