The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said it will go ahead with a special convention on Saturday after FCT Minister Nyesom Wike allegedly threatened to shut down the Abuja venue where the party planned to hold it.
The PDP had booked A Class Event Centre in Wuse 2, Abuja, to ratify former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate. But the party said the venue’s management told them that Wike had threatened to close down their business if they allowed the PDP to use the hall.
The party’s spokesman, Ini Ememobong, disclosed this on Thursday that the PDP had already paid in full for the venue and had informed all relevant security agencies about the event. The party has also asked its lawyers to remind the venue of their legal agreement.
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Despite the pressure, the PDP says the convention will hold as planned at 10 a.m. on Saturday, 30 May.
“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 party said.
The party also questioned whether Wike even has the legal power to stop them. It said Nigerian law does not give the FCT Minister the authority to decide which events can hold and where.
The PDP took a sharp dig at President Bola Tinubu, saying such unlimited powers belong only to an emperor — “a title that President Tinubu has been struggling to deny.”
The PDP called on its state leaders, national executives, and other key members to attend Saturday’s event.
The dispute tends to show the bitter history between Wike and the PDP. Wike who was former Rivers State governor fell out with the party after its 2023 presidential primaries and has since built a close relationship with the Tinubu administration. Opposition figures have long accused him of using his position as FCT Minister against political opponents.
For the PDP, Saturday’s convention is an important step as it prepares for the 2027 general elections. It is believed that the party is trying to re-establish itself as a serious opposition force. How events will go at the Abuja venue will be closely watched.
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