The Peoples Democratic Party has alleged that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, threatened to shut down A Class Event Centre in Abuja if the venue hosts a planned presidential candidate ratification ceremony for former President Goodluck Jonathan.
In a statement issued on Friday by the party’s Interim National Working Committee and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the PDP said it had been informed by the proprietors of the event centre that pressure was being mounted on them to deny the opposition party access to the facility.
The party maintained that it had fully paid for the venue and complied with all necessary requirements ahead of the event. It also said relevant security agencies had been duly notified about the planned convention scheduled for Saturday, May 30, 2026, at A Class Event Centre, Wuse 2, Abuja.
According to the PDP, its lawyers had been directed to formally remind the management of the event centre of the existing contractual agreement between both parties.
The party insisted that the special convention to ratify Jonathan’s presidential candidature would proceed as planned despite the alleged intimidation.
“We are certain that Nigeria is a country governed by law, and any attempt to use force to suppress political dissent and opposition is an aberration which must be resisted by all people of good conscience,” the statement read.
The opposition party further argued that the FCT Minister has no constitutional power to determine which political events may be held in the territory or the venues where such events should take place. It described any attempt to stop the gathering as undemocratic and warned against efforts to stifle opposition voices.
The PDP also called on party leaders, National Executive Committee members and stakeholders from across the states to attend the convention as scheduled.
The allegation comes after the Federal Capital Territory Administration directed owners of hotels, event centres and other public facilities in Abuja to deal only with leaderships of political parties recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The FCTA also warned that any property used for gatherings of what it described as illegal organisations could risk losing its title documents.
In a statement issued by Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the FCT Minister, the administration said the directive was aimed at strengthening security in the nation’s capital and preventing the use of public facilities for activities capable of disrupting public peace.
“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 recognised leadership of political parties in respect of the use of their facilities, and proper records of transactions must be kept,” the FCTA stated.
The development comes amid a deepening leadership crisis within the PDP, with reports indicating that Jonathan is being backed by one faction of the party, while another faction reportedly aligned with Wike is backing a different candidate.
In a separate statement, the PDP faction loyal to Wike asked Jonathan to publicly dissociate himself from reports linking him to the party’s presidential ticket, saying the former president should do so to protect his integrity and reputation.
The faction dismissed reports of a planned convention to affirm Jonathan as the PDP presidential candidate, insisting that Senator Sandy Onor had already been screened, cleared and presented as the party’s presidential candidate for 2027.
It described the reported plan to ratify Jonathan’s candidacy as false, misleading and unauthorised, saying no such convention, meeting or process had been scheduled, approved or endorsed by any recognised organ of the party.
The faction further called on security agencies to investigate the source of the reports, alleging that they were intended to create political tension and drag the party into disrepute.
It said the PDP remained committed to due process, internal democracy and the rule of law in all its political activities.
The post “Wike Has No Power To Stop Our Convention” — PDP Faction Alleges FCT Minister Threatened Event Centre As Rival Faction Rejects Jonathan Ratification appeared first on TheNigeriaLawyer.
