Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday abruptly relocated the venue of its Board of Trustees (BoT) meeting from the party’s National Secretariat at Wadata Plaza, Abuja, to the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in the Central Business District of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The move followed a blockade of the secretariat by armed operatives of the FCT Police Command, who barred BoT members from accessing the premises.

In an official statement on its verified X (formerly Twitter) handle, the PDP announced the change of venue, citing “harassment” by security forces as the reason for the last-minute decision.

“The Meeting of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) earlier scheduled to hold by 10am at the Party’s National Secretariat in Abuja has been moved to Yar’Adua Centre, Central Business District, Abuja,” the statement read.

“All BoT members are urged to proceed to the new venue.”

The presence of heavily armed policemen at the secretariat created tension as party leaders and BoT members, including Maina Chiroma, were denied access.

A former National Secretary of the PDP, Umar Tsauri, speaking to Channels Television, said the police claimed they were acting on an “order from above.” He expressed disappointment at what he described as an undue interference in the internal affairs of a political party.

The incident comes amid ongoing internal wrangling within the PDP, with tensions reportedly high ahead of a crucial National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting also scheduled for Monday.

While the FCT Police Command has yet to release an official statement on the incident, the PDP has condemned the action, warning that such state-backed disruptions threaten the nation’s democratic process.

The BoT meeting is expected to deliberate on the party’s leadership crisis and preparations ahead of upcoming elections.

Further developments are anticipated as the situation unfolds.