Real Reason Police Took Over APC National Secretariat

Real Reason Police Took Over APC National Secretariat

Heavy police presence were sighted on Wednesday at Blantyre street, the location of the governing party national secretariat in Abuja.

Tribune Online checks revealed that the APC CECPC has demanded police reinforcement on the heels of information that certain chieftains of the party not comfortable with the outcome of the Congresses conducted in their states are planning to organise a protest against its leadership.

National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress Caretaker/ Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, however, justified the heavy police presence.

Speaking with newsmen, Senator Akpanudoedehe said police siege to the road leading to the APC national secretariat was nothing unusual.He said the Police were acting on security reports made available to them.

“Nothing is happening. They have been there several times whenever we need to safeguard the Secretariat. You are not in a position to read security reports, so you cannot ask me. If something happens now, they will say what were they doing?

“There are so many things that have to do with security that you are not aware of. It’s a routine thing, the police liaise with the Federal Capital Territory Minister, the Inspector General of Police, and other people if they have any information. Not only here, if you are coming to Abuja, going to the airport, but we also have the duty to protect the people who work here, we read security reports and I’m sure you are fully aware we have every security agency in our Secretariat. “We are only acting on security reports, there is no cause for alarm.”

On the war of words between the Governor Mai Mala Buni led leadership and a chieftain of the party in Zamfara State, Senator Kabiru Marafa, over the conduct of last weekend ward Congress in the North West state which the latter dismissed as a charade, the APC national secretariat said the party would not join Senator Marafa in what he called personal trade of words.

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He said: “We are not abusive to any member of our party, we are too mature to go into a personal response. Our interest is in the general public and then the party. We are not going to go back and forth with anybody. Any information that is given out, we are duty-bound to respond by stating the fact as it is.

“I will not descend to the level where Marafa talks, I reply, I’m not going to do that. I have never been personal with anybody, he can abuse me, my duty is to explain to the public, my interest is to give balanced information for the public to see whether we are saying the truth or not. That’s all, we are not going to enter into personal trade of words. “Nobody can drag me or the party to the gutter, we are an institution.”

What Transpired Yesterday

Armed policemen were drafted to the national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja.

This followed rumour of a planned protest by some aggrieved party members.

Six patrol vehicles of police personnel from the Wuse Division of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command were stationed at strategic places on and around Blantyre Street leading to the party secretariat.

The Nation gathered that the party’s leadership invited the armed policemen to the secretariat, following a security report that some “disgruntled party members were planning to protest at the secretariat”.

Around 11:30 a.m, security was tightened near the secretariat: all roads leading to the area were cordoned off while armed policemen searched humans and vehicles going and leaving the party’s secretariat.

Patrol vehicles were strategically positioned at Valencia Hotel and Barcelona Hotel ends of Balantrye Street; another van was postponed directly behind the secretariat on Ibrahim Babangida Way to prevent the protesters from accessing the secretariat.

By 1.39 p.m, personnel of the Department of State Services (DSS) Special Force, on a patrol van and power bikes, were seen patrolling along Blantyre Street to provide additional security backups. Some women party members from Bauchi State, who followed their leader to the party’s headquarters in the morning, were kept outside till 3 p.m.

A security operative attached to the party confidentially told our correspondent: “We had security report that some people have plans to come and protest here. The national leadership ordered the deployment of police and other security agencies to forestall any breakdown of law and order.

“This is the second time we are seeing this kind of deployment at the secretariat. It showed that some party members are aggrieved, but there is a limit to what they can do to continue to stop the protesters.”