Tension at APC Secretariat, party leaders call in police to ward off attack

There was mounting tension at the national Secretariat of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja. The party leaders, frightened by possible attacks, called in the Police to protect the party staff and office facilities. There was, therefore, deployment of police personnel to the APC National Secretariat in Abuja on Monday.

The National Secretary of the APC Caretaker and Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), John James Akpanudoedehe, explained on Monday that the police were deployed to the party secretariat to strengthen security at the headquarters.

Akpanudoedehe disclosed that the party got a security report raising suspicion of attack at the secretariat, noting that the party leaders have responsibility to protect APC property.

The ruling APC has been contending with conflicts over the ward congress across the country. In most states, there were parallel congresses conducted by different APC leaders in the respective states. The Caretaker Committee, whose members are also party to the post-congress conflicts, have threatened not to accept results of parallel congresses from any state. The conflicts have been building up tension in the party.

Accordingly, the Caretaker Committee Secretary, Akpanudoedehe, on Monday explained in Abuja that:

“The police are here to strengthen security for the leadership of Governor Mai Mala Buni-led APC CECPC.

“Whenever you have a security situation or report, you take precautions to protect lives and property.

“APC cannot be embarrassed because we are the national government; therefore, we take measures to forestall any negative happenings.

“We have a security report, and you can’t expect us to call thugs to defend the national secretariat; the right thing to do is to inform the police and the State Security Service (SSS) and that is what we have done.”

The APC leadership may have acted on palpable fear without ascertaining the reality of the security threat before inviting the security operatives.

APC CECPC, expressing the fear of the party leadership, highlighted: “We must have to put everything in place, even the ones that are not verifiable.

“What we consider to be threat is not what you consider to be threat; a mere word that you pass by, we would heighten it because we don’t want to be embarrassed.

“This is APC that produces the national government. We cannot embarrass the president; we cannot embarrass the government of APC and we cannot embarrass ourselves.”

However, aggrieved APC leaders over the party congress are yet to declare their intention, those who made remarks over the legality of the leadership, only made reference to court suits.