The Turaki faction of the Peoples Democratic Party wasted no time on Saturday, moving its convention to a new location and quickly ratifying former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election. The entire event was wrapped up in under 20 minutes.
This sudden shift came after police blocked access to the A Class Hotel in Abuja, the original venue the group had booked. Officers used multiple vans to seal off both roads leading to the hotel from the Wuse and Maitama areas, stopping not only PDP members but also regular commuters from getting through.
At the hastily arranged gathering, Fred Agbedi, a close ally of Jonathan, received the certificate of nomination on the former president’s behalf. Other notable figures present included Professor Jerry Gana, Tanimu Turaki, and Adolphus Wabara, along with several other Turaki loyalists.
The police action followed a stern warning from Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, who on Friday told hotels and event centres not to host any illegal political gatherings in the interest of security.
In response, the PDP accused Wike of trying to sabotage its event. The party said the A Class Event Centre had informed them that pressure was being applied to stop the convention. The PDP insisted it had paid for the venue in full and met all requirements, adding that security agencies had been notified well in advance about the planned gathering on Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Wuse 2. Despite what it called intimidation, the party vowed the convention would go ahead.
