The Police has denied sealing off the National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Officers, who said they were acting on the “orders from above”, on Tuesday, stormed the party headquarters and asked staff and journalists who were already in the building to go out.
A few journalists were later allowed in under the condition that they would not conduct any interview inside the party secretariat.
In a statement, however, Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, said the APC Secretariat wasn’t sealed off rather a proactive move to avoid a breakdown of law and order.
“Personnel of the Nigeria Police Force have been deployed to the National Secretariat of the All Progressive Congress, located at Blantyre Crescent, Wuse II, Abuja. The deployment is a proactive move by the Force to maintain peace and ensure there is no breakdown of law and order at the secretariat,” Mba said.
“The presence of police personnel at the Secretariat is not to seal-up (seal off) the complex as has been reported in some quarters but rather to prevent any untoward situation within and around the APC national secretariat.
“Members of the APC as well staff of the Secretariat are therefore at liberty to conduct their legitimate businesses, in and around the secretariat as always.”
The party’s leadership crisis took a new turn after an Appeal Court in Abuja upheld the suspension of Adams Oshiomhole as National Chairman.
Former governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi, was then named acting chairman but Victor Giadom, Deputy National Secretary, kicked against it, declaring himself the acting national chairman.
National working committee (NWC) members loyal to the former Oyo governor appointed APC Vice-Chairman South-South, Hillard Eta, as acting chairman “due to Ajimobi’s unavoidable absence.”
While Giadom nullified the disqualification of Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, from the party’s governorship primary, the “Ajimobi NWC” reversed it.
President Muhammadu Buhari has held meetings with some governors and Senate President Ahmad Lawan as part of measures to resolve the crisis.
