A team of anti-riot policemen, on Thursday, cordoned off ‘Buhari House’, the national secretariat of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, along Blantyre Street in the highbrow Wuse 2 District of Abuja.
The development was due to protests by youths and women from Kogi and Cross River states over the appointment of people they considered “strange” into the vacant offices of the APC National Working Committee, NWC.
The bone of contention was the announcement of Mary Alile Idele from Edo State as National Woman Leader of the party and Duru Meseko as Deputy National Publicity Secretary.
Idele is said to be the candidate of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, instead of Dr. Stella Odey-Ekpo from Cross River State, the candidate of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Beta Edu, and the Cross River state Governor, Bassey Otu.
The ruling party had equally settled for Duro Meseko (Kogi State) as the new Deputy National Publicity Secretary to replace Yakubu Ajaka.
While Meseko was reportedly nominated by James Faleke, a federal lawmaker and an ally of President Bola Tinubu as against Yahaya Ismail, the candidate recommended by Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State.
Bello was said to have protested the substitution of his nominee and had consequently stormed the party secretariat on Thursday morning.
The governor has reportedly met the National Chairman of the APC, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje on Wednesday night to also protest the decision of the NWC announcing Meseko as Deputy National Publicity Secretary.
As of the time of filing this report, the situation at the secretariat was still tense, with security operatives blocking some people from accessing the premises.