FCTA Issues Fresh Warning To Hotels, Event Centres Over Illegal Political Gatherings

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has issued a strong warning to owners of hotels, event centres and other public facilities in Abuja, cautioning that they risk losing their property titles if they allow illegal organisations to use their premises for gatherings.

The directive was contained in a statement released on Friday by the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the FCT Minister, Lere Olayinka.

The administration said land allocations in the FCT are granted strictly for lawful purposes, stressing that any breach of the terms of use would attract sanctions, including revocation of title documents.

It stated that “Going forward, title documents of any event centre, hotel or public building that is used for the gathering of illegal organisations will be revoked.”

According to the statement, the move is part of broader efforts to strengthen security and support ongoing measures by security agencies to maintain peace in the Federal Capital Territory.

“In view of the need to further ensure the security of lives and properties in the FCT and sustain the efforts of security agencies in this regard, usage of event centres, hotels and other public buildings will now be closely monitored,” it said.

The FCTA explained that the directive is aimed at preventing such facilities from being used by unlawful groups for meetings or gatherings capable of disrupting public order in the nation’s capital.

“It 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 statement added.

Facility operators were urged to carry out due diligence by verifying the legality of groups seeking to use their premises and ensuring clarity on the purpose of any scheduled events before granting approval.

“Owners of these facilities are therefore urged to take cognisance of the legality of organisations seeking to use their facilities and the purpose before letting them out,” it said.

The administration also advised hotel and event centre owners to be particularly cautious in their dealings with political groups, especially as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.

It stated that operators must ensure they deal only with Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)-recognised leadership of political parties when hosting political activities and must keep proper records of all transactions.

“For instance, in this political season, owners of event centres and hotels in particular must ensure that they only deal with Independent National Electoral Commission-recognised leadership of political parties in respect of the use of their facilities, and proper records of transactions must be kept,” it said.

The FCTA warned that failure to comply with the directive would attract strict penalties, including revocation of property titles, noting that enforcement would be taken seriously.

The statement added that the directive reflects heightened security concerns and increasing political activities in the FCT ahead of the 2027 general elections.