The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has directed owners of hotels, event centres and other public facilities in Abuja to deal only with leaderships of political parties recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The administration also warned that any property used for gatherings of what it described as illegal organisations risks losing its title documents.
The directive was contained in a statement issued on Friday by Lere Olayinka, senior special assistant on public communications and social media to Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to the statement, the measure forms part of efforts to strengthen security across the nation’s capital and prevent the use of public facilities for activities capable of disrupting public peace.
“In view of the need to further ensure the security of lives and property in the FCT and sustain the efforts of security agencies in this regard, the usage of event centres, hotels and other public buildings will now be closely monitored,” the statement reads.
“This is aimed at ensuring that they are not used by illegal organisations for gatherings capable of disrupting the peace of the nation’s capital.”
The FCTA said land allocations within the territory are strictly meant for lawful activities, warning that sanctions would be imposed on facility owners who fail to comply with the new directive.
The administration specifically cautioned operators of hotels and event centres to verify the legality of groups seeking to use their premises, particularly during the ongoing political season.
“For instance, in this political season, owners of event centres and hotels, in particular, must ensure that they deal only with the 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 added.
The FCTA stressed that non-compliance could attract severe consequences, including the revocation of property titles.
“Failure to comply with this directive will result in the revocation of the title documents of such properties,” the statement said.
The administration did not name any organisation or political group linked to the warning but insisted that the move is necessary to preserve law and order in the Federal Capital Territory.
