The management and staff of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, National Secretariat, on Monday shut their offices and staged a mass walkout in protest against Senator Samuel Anyanwu’s attempt to forcibly reclaim his position as national secretary.

The demonstration was said to have followed the party’s National Working Committee, NWC, appointment of Setonji Koshodeo as acting National Secretary.

Anyanwu reportedly arrived at the party headquarters with suspected thugs and tried to take control of the national secretary’s office.

However, staff members, who neither wanted to recognize or work with him, were said to have quickly mobilised and vacated the premises, leaving him stranded and visibly embarrassed.

“Anyanwu and his people entered the building. It wasn’t just an attempt, they actually went straight into the national secretary’s office with some of his aides,” One of the protesting staff members said.

The PDP secretariat remained deserted as the protest went on, as some staff insisted that they would not return until Anyanwu vacated the office.

It will be recalled that the staff had in May publicly pledged to support the committee’s decision, insisting that Koshoedo’s appointment followed the party’s internal procedures.

“We had all left our offices and walked out in protest. That firm action led to his exit,” another protesting staff said.

At the time of filing this report, the PDP is yet to issue an official statement on the matter.

Immediate past Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has accused President Bola Tinubu of not liking him when he was a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

El-Rufai made the disclosure during an interview on ‘Prime Time’, a programme on Arise Television on Monday.

He further stated that he was a boy of immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari.

The ex-Kaduna governor also disclosed that he was closer to former governor of Osun and a chieftain of the APC, Bisi Akande.

“Bola Tinubu never really liked me, but we never really got along. In the party, I was Buhari’s boy.

“The person I got along with was Baba Akande,” he said.

Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has declared that President Bola Tinubu’s approval has depreciated across the country, declaring that the president would be defeated in the upcoming polls in 2027.

According to him, “The guy, (Tinubu) is gone. He’s performed miserably. The economy has tanked. The security architecture has failed.”

The former FCT minister made the disclosure in a Monday night interview on Arise TV.

Responding to a question on whether opposition figures like himself, Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, or Rabiu Kwankwaso have effectively presented a compelling alternative to President Tinubu, El-Rufai urged Nigerians to reflect on their current realities.

“Well, we have to ask the people to make up their minds. Do you like what is happening? This is just two years, okay? If you’re happy with what is happening, if your life has got better since President Tinubu was sworn in on May 29, 2023, fine. But if not, why not give some other people a chance?” he said.

Pressed on whether any polling had been conducted to gauge Tinubu’s popularity, the former governor revealed that the president’s popularity is damning.

“We have done some polling. And I have mentioned some time ago that in many parts of the country, particularly in the South East and the North, President Tinubu has 91% disapproval rating. Even in Lagos, he has 78% disapproval rating,” he said.

“In some states in the Southwest, he’s doing a bit better on the equity. He’s doing better than 78 percent disapproval rating. But there is no way he’s doing better than 50 percent, even in the Southwest. The guy is gone. He’s performed miserably. The economy has tanked. The security architecture has failed.”

“Look, there are no clear trade, industrial and investment policies. Everything is going wrong. They are raising lots of revenues, but we don’t know where the revenues are going because there are no results.”

El-Rufai, who defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) on March 10, 2025, has since positioned himself as a leading voice in the growing opposition. At the time of his defection, he stated his mission was to “engage and persuade other opposition leaders and parties… under a unified democratic platform to challenge the APC in all elections and by-elections.”

He has since entered high-level discussions with key opposition figures including Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, in a bid to consolidate forces ahead of the 2027 general elections.

El-Rufai’s split with President Tinubu deepened following the controversial denial of a ministerial appointment in August 2023. Though nominated and screened, he was ultimately left off the final list, reportedly due to unresolved “security clearance” issues flagged by the Department of State Services (DSS). El-Rufai has since denied the existence of such a report, claiming that it was President Tinubu who withdrew his name for political reasons.