By Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
In the aftermath of the rancorous outcome of the botched national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Nigeria Police on Sunday sealed off the premises of the national secretariat of the party, preventing human and vehicular movement in and out of the place.
The ill-fated convention of the party in Port Harcourt which led to the surprise ousting of the incumbent national chairman of the PDP, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, also saw leaders of the party further polarized.
At the PDP national secretariat on Sunday, stern-looking policemen took over the all its entry and exit points.
THISDAY gathered that the deployment of the policemen was at the orders of the Inspector General off Police, Solomon Arase following what security sources said were the perceived factionalization of the opposition party after two parallel conventions held on Saturday in Abuja and Port Harcourt.
The police came in two heavy-duty trucks and used them to cordon off the road leading to the PDP secretariat. Though the Policemen did not respond to enquiries on their mission, but it was that they were under instructions not allow anyone entry into the party office.
Not the even the embattled former governor of Borno state who is resisting his sack at the party’s convention could gain entry into his office. Sheriff had described his removal as a coup that will not stand.
Senator Sheriff was eased-off from his position in a most dramatic manner, when governors of the party and other leaders held an emergency meeting at the Rivers state Governors Lodge in Port Harcourt ostensibly to chat a way forward following court orders restraining the party from holding elective convention.
At the meeting, Sheriff was asked to step down so that the party will select a more acceptable man for the job. Later, the governors and party leaders together with delegates to the convention trouped to the Sharks Stadium where they went ahead with the convention and consequently sacked Sheriff via a voice vote.
However, his Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Inua Bwala who spoke to THISDAY on Sunday said Sheriff is not going anywhere, adding that the Port Harcourt incident was a foiled coup, meaning that his principal will still go ahead to act as the chairman of the party.
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