The Interim National Working Committee of the People’s Democratic Party has accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, of threatening to shut down an Abuja event centre scheduled to host the party’s presidential candidate ratification ceremony.
In a press statement issued on Friday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the PDP said it was informed by the proprietors of A Class Event Centre that the FCT minister allegedly warned against allowing the party to use the venue.
The party stated that it had already completed payment for the venue and fulfilled all necessary conditions for the event. It added that relevant security agencies had been duly notified ahead of the gathering.
According to the statement, the PDP has also directed its lawyers to write to the management of A Class Event Centre to remind them of the contractual agreement already entered into with the party.
The opposition party maintained that its special convention to ratify the presidential candidature of former President Goodluck Jonathan would proceed as scheduled on Saturday, May 30, 2026, at A Class Event Centre in Wuse 2, Abuja, by 10 a.m.
The PDP described any attempt to stop the event as an attack on democratic principles and political opposition, insisting that Nigeria remains a country governed by law.
The statement further argued that there is no legal provision empowering the FCT minister to determine which political events can be held in the territory or the venues where such activities should take place.
The party also accused unnamed forces of attempting to suppress dissent, saying such actions were only consistent with authoritarian rule and not a democratic republic.
The PDP called on party leaders from across the states, members of the National Executive Committee, and other stakeholders to attend the convention as planned.
