The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday strongly condemned the factional National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Tanimu Turaki, over his public appeal to former United States President Donald Trump to intervene in Nigeria’s political crisis.
Turaki had called on Trump to “save democracy in Nigeria” following a violent confrontation between rival factions of the PDP at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja. The clash, involving the faction loyal to Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and another bloc backed by Governors Bala Mohammed, Seyi Makinde, Ahmadu Fintiri and Caleb Muftwang, further exposed deep divisions within the opposition party.
Addressing journalists after the incident, Turaki said democracy in Nigeria was “under threat” and appealed not only to Trump but also to “all other developed nations, all advanced democracies” to “come and save Nigeria.” He framed the crisis as part of a broader assault, saying, “What is at stake is not just a genocide against Nigerian Christians… He should come and save democracy in Nigeria.”
APC Labels Call ‘Foreign Invasion’ and Threat to National Security
In a statement issued in Abuja, APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, described Turaki’s remarks as “reckless and unpatriotic,” insisting that the appeal amounted to “a call for foreign invasion of Nigeria.” The ruling party warned that such rhetoric posed a dangerous threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty and national security.
“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, confused, incoherent, and grossly lacking in stamina and capacity to manage his party’s crisis,” the APC said. The party argued that, rather than stabilising his party, Turaki’s first major public act had undermined confidence in the PDP’s ability to resolve its internal disputes.
The APC further maintained that Nigerians expected Turaki to embark on an “urgent peace-building mission” to reconcile warring interests within the PDP. Instead, it said, he chose to internationalise what it described as a self-inflicted crisis by inviting foreign powers into Nigeria’s domestic political arena. “Turaki’s first official act as factional chairman was his call for foreign invasion of Nigeria as a solution to the self-inflicted internal crisis of his PDP. That is as shameless as it is a dangerous threat to national security and sovereignty,” the statement added.
PDP Crisis Deepens as Party Faces Questions Over Internal Democracy
The latest confrontation at the PDP national secretariat has intensified scrutiny of the party’s internal democracy and raised questions about its capacity to function as a coherent opposition. Turaki accused Nyesom Wike—who was expelled from the PDP on Saturday—of storming the secretariat with loyalists and security personnel to disrupt planned National Executive Committee meetings.
According to Turaki, the disruption reflected a broader pattern of impunity and intolerance that he claimed was endangering democracy. His decision to escalate the matter to foreign leaders, however, has triggered fierce backlash, with critics arguing that his approach undermines Nigeria’s institutions and contradicts established diplomatic norms that discourage external interference in domestic political disputes.
The APC seized on Turaki’s comments as evidence of what it called the PDP’s terminal decline. “Turaki’s appeal to foreign powers is not only an admission of the party’s incapacity to manage its internal contradictions, it must be taken as a final certification of the PDP’s demise,” the APC declared. It urged Nigerians to “continue supporting the leadership of President Bola Tinubu,” insisting that the current administration remains committed to safeguarding Nigeria’s democratic process and sovereignty.
International Community Urged to Ignore ‘Unpatriotic’ Appeal
The APC also appealed to foreign governments and institutions to disregard Turaki’s call, describing it as “disgraceful and unpatriotic.” The APC argued that Nigeria’s democracy, though challenged by partisan conflicts, remains robust enough to withstand internal disputes without external intervention.
“We trust the international community to dismiss the PDP’s disgraceful and unpatriotic call as a pitiful distraction from the failure of its internal democracy and embarrassing disintegration,” the statement read. The APC added that Nigeria’s political differences should be resolved through constitutional mechanisms, dialogue, and respect for national institutions, rather than internationalising partisan crises.
As the PDP grapples with leadership disputes and public criticism, observers say the party faces a critical test of whether it can restore internal cohesion and present itself as a credible alternative to the ruling APC. For now, Turaki’s controversial appeal has shifted attention from reconciliation efforts to questions about patriotism, sovereignty, and the limits of foreign involvement in Nigeria’s political affairs.
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