There is a heavy security presence at the “Buhari House” national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja as the ruling party is set to inaugurate the chairmen of its state chapters.
Armed policemen and personnel of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) are noticed at the gate of the secretariat and at both ends of Blantyre Street where it is located apparently to ward off any threat to the event.
The security operatives were seen screening party members and visitors before being allowed into the secretariat.
As of a.m., the operatives had stopped some supporters of some of the chairmen from accessing the secretariat.
Journalists who are on ground to cover the event are also barred from accessing the venue of the inauguration.
It was not clear why the operatives were drafted to the secretariat by the leadership of the party.
None of the party officials could be reached for comments at the time of filing this report.
When newsmen approached one of the policemen, Adisa Kazeem, he said their presence was “a mere protocol.”
However, it was gathered that the presence of the security personnel is not unconnected with the crises in some state chapters of the APC and the existence of the two or more factions in those states.
Amidst internal crises, last year, the ruling party held state congresses across the country to elect officers to steer its affairs at the state level for the next four years.
The event was greeted with rancour as party faithful conducted parallel congresses which produced two sets of executive bodies in some of the 36 states.
With its National Convention slated for February 26, the Governor Mala Buni-led caretaker committee has not been able to resolve the crises ahead of the convention.
In October last year, the party inaugurated a nine-member National Reconciliation Committee headed by former Nasarawa State governor, Abdullahi Adamu, to tour the troubled states and reconcile its aggrieved members ahead of the national convention.
The committee, which submitted its interim report this week, told the party that some members were still aggrieved.
Apart from Gombe and Zamfara, there are still factions in states such as Kwara, Osun, Ogun, Kwara, Kano, Akwa Ibom, Rivers and Bauchi.
