Vanguard Nigeria News: Wike bars ‘unrecognized party factions’ from Abuja event centres, hotels
Published on: 05/30/2026
By Omeiza Ajayi, ABUJA
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has directed owners of event centres and hotels in Abuja to refuse access to any political party faction not recognized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), warning that title documents of non-compliant properties will be revoked.
The directive, issued Friday by Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, comes amid intensifying factional disputes within major political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“Owners of Event Centres and Hotels in particular must ensure that they only deal with Independent National Electoral Commission INEC recognized leadership of political parties in respect of the use of their facilities, and proper records of transactions must be kept,” Olayinka stated.
The instruction effectively empowers venue owners — and by extension the FCTA — to determine which political tendencies may lawfully assemble in the nation’s capital, a power that critics are likely to read as an attempt to tilt the playing field against factions contesting for control of parties currently locked in leadership disputes.
Wike’s administration described the move broadly as a security measure, saying facilities would be monitored to prevent gatherings “capable of disrupting the peace of the nation’s capital.”
“Failure to comply with this directive will result in revocation of the title documents of such properties,” Olayinka warned.
The order lands at a particularly sensitive moment, with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party, and other opposition formations embroiled in parallel leadership and court battles over which faction holds legitimate control—contests in which INEC recognition has become the decisive factor.
The directive, issued Friday by Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, comes amid intensifying factional disputes within major political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“Owners of Event Centres and Hotels in particular must ensure that they only deal with Independent National Electoral Commission INEC recognized leadership of political parties in respect of the use of their facilities, and proper records of transactions must be kept,” Olayinka stated.
The instruction effectively empowers venue owners — and by extension the FCTA — to determine which political tendencies may lawfully assemble in the nation’s capital, a power that critics are likely to read as an attempt to tilt the playing field against factions contesting for control of parties currently locked in leadership disputes.
Wike’s administration described the move broadly as a security measure, saying facilities would be monitored to prevent gatherings “capable of disrupting the peace of the nation’s capital.”
“Failure to comply with this directive will result in revocation of the title documents of such properties,” Olayinka warned.
The order lands at a particularly sensitive moment, with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party, and other opposition formations embroiled in parallel leadership and court battles over which faction holds legitimate control—contests in which INEC recognition has become the decisive factor.