Nigerian police close ruling party HQ over infighting

Nigerian police on Tuesday closed the headquarters of the ruling All Progressive Congress to "maintain peace" as an intra-party legal battle raged over the appointment of an acting national chairman.

About 15 police officers and intelligence agents arrived at the APC office in the early afternoon and evacuated politicians and staff. 

"The deployment is a proactive move... to maintain peace and ensure there is no breakdown of law and order at the secretariat," the police said on their Twitter account. 

But APC member Franck Osai called the move illegal, labelling it an "abuse of the party constitution" and calling on President Muhammadu Buhari "to settle the crisis in the party".

A Nigerian court early this month ordered the suspension of APC leader Adams Oshiomhole, a former Buhari ally whose detractors accuse him of incompetence.

Oshiomhole appealed against the decision, but two other party members have since declared themselves the new party leader.