Wike Threatens Sanctions on Hotels, Event Centres Hosting ‘Unrecognized’ Party Factions

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has warned that hotels and event centres in Abuja risk sanctions, including possible revocation of title documents, if they host political party factions not recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The directive, issued on Friday through the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister, Lere Olayinka, is part of renewed measures by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to regulate political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.

According to the statement, proprietors of hospitality and event facilities in the nation’s capital are now required to strictly verify the legitimacy of political groups seeking to use their venues.

They are to ensure that only party leadership structures officially recognised by INEC are allowed to hold meetings, congresses or other political gatherings in their facilities.

“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,” the statement read.

The FCTA warned that failure to comply with the directive would attract stiff penalties, including revocation of property title documents, adding that enforcement would be taken seriously in order to maintain order in the capital.

“Failure to comply with this directive will result in revocation of the title documents of such properties,” it added.

Officials of the administration said the measure was designed to prevent the use of Abuja facilities for meetings capable of escalating political tensions or undermining public peace, especially as intra-party disputes deepen across major political parties.

The development comes amid ongoing leadership crises within several political parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party, and other opposition groups, where rival factions continue to lay claim to legitimate control.

With INEC recognition increasingly becoming the deciding factor in party legitimacy disputes, the new directive effectively places hotel and event centre operators at the frontline of political compliance enforcement in the capital.