A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party on Thursday held a peaceful protest at the United States Embassy in Abuja, calling for international assistance to protect what they describe as Nigeria’s “fragile democracy.”
The group, known as the PDP Like-Mind Forum, also plans to submit protest letters to the European Union Mission, the Federal Ministry of Justice, and the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters.
Protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as “Save Our Democracy from Intimidation,” “Stop Harassing the Opposition,” and “Fix PDP, Fix Nigeria.”
Speaking during the protest, a representative of the group, Ibrahim Sule, said opposition members have faced increasing pressure and political intimidation, allegedly aimed at weakening multi-party democracy in the country.
“We are here to call the attention of the international community to what we see as a systematic attempt to silence opposition voices. A democracy cannot function when only one party is allowed to breathe,” Sule said.
The demonstration comes as the PDP continues to grapple with an internal leadership crisis.
In recent days, factions within the party’s National Working Committee announced conflicting suspensions, with each side declaring the other illegitimate.
One camp led by acting National Chairman Umar Damagum announced the suspension of National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu and others.
The opposing faction loyal to Anyanwu responded by announcing the suspension of Damagum and his allies.
Both sides insist they remain the authentic leadership of the party.
Another protester, Ngozi Nwafor, told journalists that the internal crisis is being worsened by what she described as external political interference.
“If the opposition is weakened, there will be no checks on those in power. That is dangerous for every Nigerian, not just PDP members,” she said.
The US Embassy has not yet issued a statement regarding the protest.
