The All Progressives Congress (APC) national secretariat in Abuja was thrown into a state of pandemonium on Thursday as suspected thugs descended on a group of protesters who stormed the party's headquarters demanding the resignation of its national chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

The anti-Ganduje agitators were suddenly attacked by the suspected thugs who carried sticks, destroyed their banners, placards and beat them up as they approached the APC national secretariat.

The protesters, who scampered for safety, later converged on an open location in Wuse 2, where their leader, Hamisu Suleiman Sardauna, asked critical stakeholders in the party to remove Ganduje for the chairmanship slot to return to the North-Central zone in line with the APC zoning arrangement of 2022.

"We are peacemakers. We are members of this party, so nobody can deny us justice. We are here for a peaceful protest but some thugs came around and beat our members. This is shameful.

"We are clamouring for justice. APC stakeholders must return the office of national chairman to the North-Central. We are calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, goverors of the party, and other critical stakeholders to champion this cause in line with the provisions of APC constitution," he said.

On his part, chairman of the APC Stakeholders' Forum in Nasarawa State, Sani Ibrahim Jigas, said former national chairman Senator Abdullahi Adamu's replacement ought to have come from the North-Central, calling on APC stakeholders to ensure justice was done.

On the attack on their group, Jigas said: "Some of our members are now in the hospital because they were beaten by thugs a few minutes ago. Shame to whoever sent them to attack our members."