A staff member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Thomas Ibu, was reportedly manhandled and arrested by police officers at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, amid the escalating crisis over the scheduled 100th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.
Armed police officers were said to have surrounded the PDP premises as early as 8:30 am, although the reason for the arrest of the staff member from the Publicity Department is yet to been known.
As gathered, attempts by other PDP staff to intervene proved unsuccessful, as the officers overpowered them and whisked Ibu away.
The incident occurred as security was significantly heightened around the PDP headquarters, situated in Wuse Zone 5, with more than 70 armed police officers deployed in the early hours of Monday.
The street leading to the secretariat was barricaded with police trucks, and youths loitering around the premises were dispersed.
Earlier reports indicated that entry to the secretariat was restricted, with many staff asked to vacate the premises.
The tension coincides with an internal dispute over the scheduling of the party’s 100th NEC meeting, as two senior officials issued conflicting statements regarding the event.
Deputy National Chairman (South), Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, insisted that the NEC meeting would go ahead as planned.
“The National Working Committee (NWC) assures all party members that the 100th NEC meeting will proceed as scheduled tomorrow, Monday, June 30, 2025, at the NEC Hall of the Wadata Plaza,” Arapaja told journalists at a press briefing in Abuja.
His statement countered a notice earlier issued by the party’s National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who announced a “Special Expanded National Caucus Meeting” in place of the NEC session.
An alternate meeting was slated for 2:00 p.m. on Monday and expected to include former governors, past gubernatorial candidates, ex-NWC members, state party chairmen, and PDP lawmakers.
However, some NEC and Board of Trustees (BoT) members, including Hajia Maina Ciroma, were reportedly denied entry into the secretariat to the secretariat.
