Police officers on Saturday blocked access roads leading to the venue of a special convention organised by a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to ratify former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate.

Security personnel stationed at the venue, A-Class Park and Event Centre in Abuja, informed journalists that the event had been cancelled. However, officials of the PDP faction later said the convention had been relocated to another venue in Area 10, Abuja.

The development comes amid an ongoing leadership dispute within the PDP. The faction aligned with Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike is currently recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), while a rival group led by Kabiru Turaki has continued to challenge that position.

Turaki’s faction had scheduled the special convention for Saturday at the Wuse 2 event centre. Ahead of the gathering, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) directed owners of hotels, event centres and similar facilities to engage only with political party leaderships recognised by INEC.

The administration also warned that properties used by organisations it described as “illegal” could face sanctions, including the revocation of title documents.

Despite the directive, the Turaki-led faction insisted that the convention would proceed as planned.

In a statement issued before the event, the faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, alleged that the FCTA had threatened to shut down the event centre if it hosted the convention.

Ememobong said the organisers had fully paid for the venue and notified relevant security agencies about the event. He added that the faction had instructed its lawyers to formally engage the management of the event centre over the matter.

He maintained that the convention would go ahead as scheduled and argued that no law gives the FCT minister the authority to determine which political events can be held in Abuja.

According to him, any attempt to prevent the gathering would amount to suppressing political opposition and dissent.