Tension began at the national headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja on Tuesday as police fired teargas to break up violent clashes between supporters of two rival factions.
The confrontation began after the Nyesom Wike-backed faction and the newly inaugurated National Working Committee (NWC) led by Kabiru Turaki scheduled parallel meetings at the Wadata Plaza secretariat.
Trouble started when Samuel Anyanwu, national secretary of the Wike-aligned group, arrived with his faction for their planned Board of Trustees (BoT) and National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings.
His entry triggered a standoff with members of the opposing faction already on the ground.
Verbal exchanges quickly escalated into physical confrontations, prompting police officers at the scene to order everyone, including senior party officials, to leave the premises.
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As the situation deteriorated, officers discharged several teargas canisters to forcefully disperse supporters.
The sudden release of gas caused chaos across the compound, with politicians, staff, party loyalists, and journalists fleeing in confusion while choking and shielding their faces.
Outside the secretariat, rival supporters hurled objects and waved cudgels as skirmishes continued on the streets surrounding the building.
Additional police units were later deployed to stabilise the area, though tensions remained high as both factions blamed each other for provoking the violence
