PDP Youths 'Sack' Sheriff, Chase Out Staff From Offices

Some angry youths believed to be loyal to the Ahmed Makarfi, on Wednesday stormed the People's Democratic Party (PDP) National Secretariat and chased away supporters of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.

It was reported that the former National Secretary of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), Prof. Adewale Oladipo and former National Auditor, Adewole Adeyanju, narrowly escaped being lynched by the angry youths at the office.

Oladipo and Adeyanju are the only supporters of Sheriff from the immediate past National Working Committee (NWC).

The youths' invasion took place less than three days after Sheriff seized the secretariat and imposed himself as the National Chairman, against the decision of the party's National Convention, which sacked him on May 21, 2016.

The protest, which was coordinated by PDP Rebirth Group in association with the PDP Concerned Rescue Youth Group, sealed off the party's national headquarters and handed the keys over to the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Walid Jibrin.

The youths, who ransacked the secretariat and sent everyone packing, also forced out Oladipo and Adeyanju.

The embattled former secretary who was visibly shaken, was too afraid to enter his car and drive out of the premises but, preferred to walk through the back gate. He was barefooted while he walked away, but his driver drove out his car.

He pleaded to be allowed to go out peacefully, even as the youths booed him.

Oladipo was heard pleading with the youths saying: "Please, allow me to go, I won't come back again" looking back with fear as he walked, and afraid that he might be beaten up by the youths.

Adeyanju on the other hand, jumped the low fence at the back of the building into the Sky Memorial Shopping Complex and escaped from the surging youths.

He left his car behind, but the protesting youths made attempts at smashing a Blue Toyota Camry 2010 model with registration number APP 767 CK, but were restrained by their leaders.

Oladipo and Adeyanju were, however, seen boarding the former secretary's car by the side of Sky Memorial Complex.

The protesting youths had gathered at the party secretariat as early as 7:00am singing and chanting anti-Modu Sheriff songs.

While the youths who were less than 50 at the initial stage retreated, a counter protest was held by supporters of Sheriff.

However, the loyalists who tagged themselves "Guardians of Democracy" didn't spend up to 20 minutes before leaving.

Immediately they left, the anti-Sheriff group reinforced and took over the office.

The protesting youths sang songs denouncing the alleged takeover of the party secretariat by Sheriff who refused to accept his sack from office by the National Convention held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State

However, at about 10:15am, while the number of the protesting youths were less than 50, Prof Oladipo and the former National Auditor, Adewole Adeyanju, who had pitched tent with Sheriff, came into the secretariat, guarded by some private bodyguards who dressed like men of the DSS to conceal their true identities.

The men dressed in black suits and dark glasses were about eight in number.

But at about 11:15am, the number of the protesting youths increased to over 300 with the reinforcement arriving with different types of drums and placards.

The protesters displayed different placards bearing messages like: "Ali Modu Sheriff is not a PDP member," "Ali Modu-Sheriff Must Go,"
"Ali Modu Sheriff can't kill our party", amongst others.

The protesters who had converged at the main gate of the building thereafter became charged, with some scaling the fence and running around the complex.

At about 2.10pm, the youths brought some chains and padlocks, and sealed up the premises by locking down all entries into it.

They thereafter gathered at the main gate awaiting the arrival of the members of the BoT.
At about 3:00pm, Jibrin showed up and was handed the keys of the secretariat.

Though, the youths stayed back after the departure of Jubrin, they left at about 3:47pm in the Coaster buses and minibuses that brought them.


Sheriff, who attended office on Monday and Tuesday, was absent yesterday.

His media aide, Inuwa Bwala, said his boss was in Maiduguri, Borno State to attend a burial ceremony.

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