Secretariat Gate Pulled Down As Thugs, Security Clash

A crisis erupted at the Social Democratic Party (SDP) secretariat as supporters of National Chairman Shehu Gabam and those aligned with the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo, clashed in a violent confrontation.

Following the clash yesterday in Abuja during the meeting of the SDP National Working Committee, NWC, the gate of the national headquarters was pulled down.

The trouble, which started at 11.20 am at the party’s headquarters on 16 Nairobi Street, Abuja, snowballed into a serious commotion during which many were beaten, leaving some with various degrees of injuries.

Security personnel stationed at the premises and suspected thugs invited to help in the fight were able to overcome those allegedly loyal to Adebayo’s camp and the National Publicity Secretary, Rufus Aiyenigba.

Some of the journalists invited to cover the party’s NWC meeting were also manhandled.

While Arise TV had its camera seized, and later returned to the cameraman for filming the conflict, the Punch reporter, Francis Adebayo, was manhandled and his clothes torn for refusing to surrender the phone he used to record the incident.

Police from Wuse Division and the FCT Command arrived at the premises to take charge of security to prevent further breakdown of law and order as they were seen appealing to people to leave the premises. Still, the thugs resisted, claiming they were members of the party.

Speaking on the reason for the crisis, one of the private security personnel, who did not want his name in print, said trouble started when security personnel who manned the gate of the building were locked out to prevent members loyal to the national chairman from entering the venue of the meeting.

According to him, the fight forced both parties to pull down the gate in the process.