*Action violates court order – Baraje faction
*We are protecting status quo – Tukur NWC
By Henry Umoru and Gbenga Olarinoye
The
crisis rocking the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) took a turn for the
worse, yesterday, after the police sealed off the office of the Alhaji
Abubakar Kawu Baraje-led faction.
The police put the office, situated at Plot 3206A, No 4, Oyi River Crescent, Maitama, Abuja under lock and
key, just as former President Olusegun Obasanjo was fingered as the brain behind the factionalisation of the ruling party. The same Obasanjo led some elders of the PDP on a trouble shooting mission on Friday which ended in a deadlock. A top leader of the ruling party described Obasanjo’s involvement in the truce effort as pretentious. The
PDP broke into two penultimate Saturday after a group of members, led
by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and six governors namely, Sule
Lamido (Jigawa), Adbdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Aliyu Babangida (Niger),
Aliyu Magatakadar Wammako (Sokoto), Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano) and
Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), staged a walk out from the party’s special
national convention holding at the Eagle Square and, less than one hour
later, announced the emergence of their own faction of the PDP and named
some members as top officials of the party.