Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Pierre Antoine
Police officers and other security personnel on Saturday blocked access to the A-Class Event Centre in Wuse 2, Abuja, the venue scheduled for a special convention organised by a faction of the opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, to formally ratify former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
The convention was convened by a PDP faction led by Kabiru Turaki. The group had announced that delegates and party stakeholders would gather on Saturday, May 30, 2026, at the Abuja event centre to ratify Jonathan’s nomination following earlier internal processes conducted by the faction.
Reports from Abuja indicated that police vehicles and security operatives were deployed around the venue, preventing access to the facility ahead of the planned gathering. The action effectively halted preparations for the event as attendees were unable to reach the convention grounds.
The development comes amid an escalating power struggle within the PDP, where rival factions continue to contest the party's leadership and political direction ahead of the 2027 elections. The Turaki-led bloc has been pushing for Jonathan's return to frontline politics and had already cleared the former president as its sole aspirant before scheduling the ratification convention.
According to invitations issued by the faction and circulated earlier this week, the sole purpose of the convention was to formally ratify the nomination of Jonathan as the faction's presidential candidate. The event was expected to begin at 10:00 a.m. and attract delegates from across the country.
The security action follows increasing tensions between the Turaki-led faction and another PDP bloc aligned with Nyesom Wike. The Wike-backed faction is currently regarded as the PDP leadership recognised by the electoral authorities and has openly opposed the planned Jonathan endorsement.
The dispute intensified after the Federal Capital Territory Administration reportedly warned hotels, event centres and other public facilities against hosting activities organised by political groups not recognised by the electoral commission. The administration also warned of possible sanctions against facilities that violated the directive.
Before Saturday's disruption, the Turaki faction had argued that Jonathan was constitutionally eligible to contest the presidency in 2027 and pointed to recent court decisions which it said cleared any legal obstacles to his participation. The group had granted the former president a waiver and subsequently presented him as its preferred presidential flag bearer.
As of Saturday afternoon, there was no indication that the convention had proceeded at the original venue, while neither Jonathan nor his representatives had publicly commented on the security blockade. Authorities had also not released an official detailed explanation for the deployment around the event centre.
The incident represents the latest chapter in the continuing internal crisis within the PDP as competing factions position themselves for the 2027 presidential election.
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