Abuja threatens to revoke venue licenses for unrecognized PDP faction's convention

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has issued a stern warning to event centers and hotels in Abuja, threatening to revoke property titles if they host political gatherings for factions not recognized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The administration emphasized that land allocations are strictly for lawful activities and that usage of these facilities will be closely monitored, especially during the current political season.

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The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has sounded a note of warning to owners of Event Centres, Hotels and other public buildings in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to stop offering their facilities for use by illegal organisations.

This directive comes just a day before a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by former Minister Kabiru Turaki, plans to hold a convention to ratify former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate for the 2027 election. The faction intends to use the A-Class Event Centre for this purpose.

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going forward, title documents of any event centre, hotel or public building that is used for the gathering of illegal organisations will be revoked.

The PDP is currently divided into two factions. One is led by Abdulrahman Mohammed and supported by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, with INEC recognizing this group. The other faction, led by Turaki, has adopted Jonathan as its candidate. The FCTA's warning, while not explicitly naming the venue, appears to be aimed at preventing the Turaki-led faction's ratification exercise.

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For instance, in this political season, owners of Event Centres and Hotels in particular must ensure that they only deal with Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognised leadership of political parties in respect of the use of their facilities, and proper records of transactions must be kept.