The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has threatened to revoke the land titles of hotels, event centres and other public facilities in Abuja found to have hosted political gatherings linked to organisations not recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (Independent National Electoral Commission).
The directive, issued by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), is part of what officials described as heightened security measures in the capital city ahead of the 2027 general elections amid rising political realignments and internal party disputes.
In a statement on Friday by the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the FCT Minister, Lere Olayinka, the administration warned that any property used by “illegal organisations” for meetings or political activities could lose its land title.
The statement said owners of hotels, event centres and public buildings must henceforth verify the legitimacy of groups seeking to use their facilities or risk severe sanctions, including revocation of title documents.
“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 FCTA warned.
It added that all event venues within the territory would now be subjected to stricter surveillance as part of efforts to strengthen security coordination and prevent activities capable of disrupting public peace in the capital city.
According to the administration, the measure became necessary in view of the increasing political activities and factional disputes among political actors, some of which it said were being conducted outside recognised party structures.
The FCTA specifically cautioned that in the current political climate, proprietors must ensure they only deal with leadership structures of political parties duly recognised by the INEC before granting access to their facilities.
“For instance, in this political season, owners of event centres and hotels in particular must ensure that they only deal with INEC-recognised leadership of political parties in respect of the use of their facilities, and proper records of transactions must be kept,” the statement added.
However, the directive did not clearly define what constitutes an “illegal organisation,” a development that has raised concerns among stakeholders over possible arbitrary interpretation and enforcement.
The FCTA maintained that the policy is aimed at safeguarding lives and property in the nation’s capital and supporting security agencies in preventing gatherings capable of undermining public order.
The warning comes amid escalating political tension across the country as parties grapple with internal crises, factional leadership struggles, and early alignments ahead of the next general elections, with Abuja emerging as a major hotspot for political consultations and parallel meetings.
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