ABUJA, Nigeria — Kabiru Turaki, national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, has issued an extraordinary appeal to United States President Donald Trump, urging him to intervene to “save democracy in Nigeria” as internal conflict within the opposition party spills into public unrest.
Turaki made the comments on Monday, November 17, 2025, after he and members of his leadership team gained access to the PDP national secretariat in Abuja following a prolonged standoff with a rival faction backed by Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
His appeal comes two weeks after Trump threatened military action in Nigeria if the federal government “continues to allow the killing of Christians”, vowing to intervene “guns-a-blazing” to eliminate extremist groups responsible for such attacks.
Turaki said Nigeria was facing a broader and more urgent crisis.
“I want to call on President Trump; what is at stake is not just genocide against Nigerian Christians,” he told journalists.
“He should come and save democracy in Nigeria. Democracy is under threat. I’m calling on all other developed nations: come and save Nigeria, come and save democracy.”
He said his remarks were prompted by “actions of those undermining democracy and progress”, a reference to the escalating leadership dispute that has split the PDP into two competing camps.
The crisis reached a boiling point on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, at the party’s headquarters in Wadata Plaza, where chaos erupted as supporters of both factions engaged in violent clashes.
Police fired teargas to disperse crowds after multiple attempts to restore order failed.
Turaki accused Wike of sponsoring thugs who arrived at the secretariat wielding cudgels, chanting protest songs and preventing members of the newly elected national working committee from entering the complex.
He also alleged that police officers shielded some of the individuals responsible for the disturbances.
Samuel Anyanwu, national secretary of the Wike-aligned faction, arrived at the secretariat with supporters for parallel Board of Trustees and National Executive Committee meetings scheduled for the same day.
The rival events deepened confusion at the party headquarters and heightened tensions among members.
Police struggled to maintain control as shouting matches escalated into physical confrontations.
At one point, officers ordered all supporters, officials and journalists to leave the premises.
They later deployed teargas to disperse the crowd as the clashes continued outside the gates.
The dispute follows the expulsion of Anyanwu and several others by the Turaki-led leadership at the PDP national convention in Ibadan.
The Wike faction has rejected the legitimacy of the new leadership, insisting its own meetings and decisions remain valid.
