The crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) escalated on Tuesday as the party’s factional National Chairman, Mr. Kabiru Turaki, issued an extraordinary appeal to former United States President Donald Trump and other advanced democracies to intervene in Nigeria’s political situation, alleging that the country’s democracy was under severe threat.

Mr. Turaki made the remarks at the PDP national secretariat, Wadata Plaza, Abuja, amid a violent confrontation between rival factions led by himself and Mr. Samuel Anyanwu.

Addressing journalists, Mr. Turaki said, “I want to call on President Trump. What is at stake is not just genocide against Christians; he should come and save democracy in Nigeria. Democracy is under threat. I am calling on all other developed nations, all advanced democracies—come and save Nigeria.”

Chaotic Scenes at PDP Secretariat

Earlier in the day, chaos erupted when rival groups and their supporters clashed outside the secretariat. Mr. Turaki, alongside Governors Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State and Mr. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, arrived at the building but was initially blocked from entering. Police officers fired tear gas to disperse the crowd before Mr. Turaki and his entourage secured access.

Narrating the confrontation, he said, “We have been tear-gassed, and I think more than 50 canisters of tear gas had been shot at us. But we remained relentless and will continue to remain relentless.”

Once inside, he proclaimed that he had assumed office as the party’s National Chairman.

“Now, we have driven them out of the secretariat, and, as you can see, I have entered my office; I have assumed leadership as the elected chairman,” he said, vowing to defend democratic values. He added that his faction would “continue to act as the vanguards of democracy,” insisting that the PDP was “back on course” despite the internal turmoil.

Crisis Rooted in Ibadan Convention and Counter-Expulsions

Tuesday’s confrontation stemmed from a contentious convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, where Mr. Turaki and other executives were elected by his faction. That group subsequently expelled the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike; former Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose; Mr. Samuel Anyanwu; and several others.

In retaliation, the faction loyal to Mr. Wike dismissed the Ibadan convention as a “jamboree” and expelled Governor Makinde, Mr. Bode George, and other chieftains who attended the event—deepening a crisis that has gripped the PDP for more than two years.

The tension worsened after conflicting court orders surfaced, with one permitting the Ibadan convention to proceed and another directing the organisers to halt the event.

APC Brands Turaki’s Appeal a ‘Dangerous’ Call for Foreign Invasion

Mr. Turaki’s call for international intervention quickly drew sharp condemnation from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which described his comments as reckless, unpatriotic, and a threat to national security.

In a statement issued in Abuja, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Felix Morka, urged the international community to ignore Mr. Turaki’s appeal.

“Turaki’s call for foreign invasion of Nigeria was reckless and unpatriotic and should not be taken seriously,” Mr. Morka said. “For a man declared national chairman barely 72 hours ago by a faction of his deeply fractured party, Turaki looked and sounded desperate, at his wits’ end.”

He described Mr. Turaki as “confused,” arguing that Nigerians had expected him to immediately pursue peace-building efforts among the PDP’s warring factions rather than solicit external intervention.

“Instead, Turaki’s first official act as PDP’s factional chairman was to call for foreign invasion of Nigeria as a solution to the self-inflicted internal crisis of his PDP,” he added.

Mr. Morka said the comments posed a “dangerous threat” to national security and sovereignty, calling the statement disgraceful and unpatriotic.

He recalled that during the PDP’s 16 years in power—despite what he described as the party’s subversion of opposition parties—no political group ever sought foreign intervention to resolve their internal disputes.

“Turaki’s call is not only an admission of PDP’s incapacity to manage its internal contradictions, it must be taken as a final certification of its demise,” he said.

He urged Nigerians to support the APC and the “visionary leadership” of President Bola Tinubu as the government continued efforts to improve national development and prosperity.