By Oluwatoyin Makinde
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman Kabiru Turaki has called on United States President Donald Trump to intervene and “save democracy” in Nigeria, amid deepening internal crises within the opposition party.
Turaki made the appeal on Monday in Abuja after finally gaining access to the PDP national secretariat following a prolonged standoff between rival factions.
His comments come two weeks after President Trump threatened military action in Nigeria over what he described as the government’s failure to stop the killing of Christians. Trump had vowed to go into Nigeria “guns-a-blazing” to eliminate “Islamic terrorists.”
Turaki, however, said the threat to democracy goes beyond security issues, insisting that Nigeria’s political system is under siege.
“What is at stake is not just genocide against Nigerian Christians,” he told journalists. “President Trump should come and save democracy in Nigeria. Democracy is under threat. I’m calling on all developed nations: come and save Nigeria, come and save democracy.”
On Tuesday, tensions erupted at the party’s headquarters, Wadata Plaza, Abuja, as supporters of two rival factions clashed. Police fired teargas to disperse the crowd as skirmishes broke out between loyalists of the Nyesom Wike-backed camp and the newly elected National Working Committee (NWC) led by Turaki.
Both groups had scheduled parallel Board of Trustees (BoT) and National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings at the secretariat, leading to a confrontation at the gates.
Turaki accused FCT Minister Nyesom Wike of sponsoring thugs who arrived wielding clubs and chanting protest songs. He also alleged that police officers on the scene shielded those responsible for the unrest.
The Wike faction, led by National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, later arrived for its own series of meetings, worsening the atmosphere. At a point, police ordered everyone out of the premises before firing teargas to restore order as supporters brawled outside the building.
The PDP crisis continues to widen, raising fresh concerns about the party’s stability ahead of major political realignments in the country.
