The town hall meeting of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, featuring Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, went ahead in Enugu on Thursday, October 29, 2026, after a last-minute venue withdrawal that triggered allegations of political interference and a strong denial by Governor Peter Mbah.
The gathering was scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Amadeo Event Centre owned by Ugo Chime, located along the Ebeano Tunnel in Enugu. It was billed to feature Obi, Kwankwaso and other state representatives.
Venue Dispute Erupts Less Than 24 Hours to Event
The controversy emerged on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, after officials of the NDC alleged that the Amadeo Event Centre had withdrawn its venue less than 24 hours before the gathering.
A video circulating on social media showed NDC officials, including Princess Ada Ogbu, confronting venue staff over the decision. The party claimed the state government had pressured the facility to cancel the event.
According to the information circulating alongside the video, the venue was withdrawn less than 24 hours before the event despite prior payment.
Princess Ada Ogbu, identified as the NDC's Enugu East senatorial candidate, confirmed that organisers had paid N3.5 million for the hall and an additional N500,000 for an outside space. Other accounts put the total at N4 million to secure the facility.
Some NDC members also said they initially wanted to hold the town hall meeting at Opara Square but were denied the use of the square.
The NDC said it had secured the venue for Thursday, October 29, at 2 p.m., for an engagement involving Obi and Kwankwaso.
Sampson Ukwu, media aide to the NDC governorship candidate in Enugu State, Christian Chinyeaka Ohaa, said in a statement that the party had locked down the venue for Thursday, 29th October 2026 at 2:00 pm.
Ukwu described the last-minute withdrawal as an attempt to disrupt the peaceful political activities of the opposition in Enugu State and insisted the event must go ahead.
Allegation of Government Pressure
Organisers alleged that the owner of the centre had indicated that pressure from the Enugu State Government influenced the decision. That claim has not been independently substantiated, and no documentary evidence establishing a directive from Governor Mbah has been publicly verified.
Mbah Denies Involvement
Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah strongly denied allegations that he directed the management of a privately owned event centre to withdraw permission for the political town hall meeting.
In a statement posted on his X account on Wednesday, the governor described the allegation as false, saying he had no involvement in the decision to deny the organisers the use of the facility.
"My attention has just been drawn to a video circulating on some social media platforms, alleging that I gave an order denying a political party use of a private facility for their townhall event. This is preposterous and utter falsehood, because I did not," Mbah wrote.
Mbah described the claim as shameful and said it revealed a desperate pattern adopted by the opposition to attract attention. He also warned that democracy guarantees freedom of expression but does not grant anyone the right to defame.
In a separate reaction posted on Facebook on Wednesday night, Mbah also described the allegations of blocking the NDC’s event as false.
His Senior Special Assistant, Dan Nwomeh, defended him, questioning why Mbah should be held responsible for the rental of a privately owned facility.
"What has Governor Mbah got to do with the rental of a privately owned facility? It appears some people on this app get a kick out of blaming Governor Mbah for just about everything," Nwomeh wrote.
Event Centre Gives Own Account
On Thursday, the management of Amadeo Event Centre issued a clarification, attributing the initial cancellation to an alleged breach of its booking agreement.
According to the management, the venue was initially booked by Sabastine Ezeh, Registrar of the Nigeria Institute of Healthcare Givers and Medical Social Work Practitioners, for a national meeting and conference.
The centre said Ezeh made the initial booking on October 7, 2026, for a conference scheduled for October 15, but requested a cancellation and refund on October 13. The client later withdrew the cancellation request, explaining that the association intended to postpone the event. October 29 was confirmed as the new date on October 23, with decoration work scheduled to begin on October 28.
The centre said it became concerned when decoration materials brought to the premises on October 28 were identified as belonging to a political party rather than the association that had booked the venue. It said this constituted a breach of the booking agreement and invoked Clause 17 of its terms and conditions, which empowers management to stop any activity that does not comply with agreed provisions.
The management said NDC officials arrived at the premises with security escorts after receiving the cancellation notice.
How the Town Hall Went Ahead
Despite the initial withdrawal, the centre said it eventually allowed the event to proceed to prevent a possible breakdown of law and order after the organisers explained that it would be a youth town hall meeting featuring Obi.
In a later statement, the centre also said it later allowed the event to proceed as a youth town hall meeting with Peter Obi.
The management maintained that no political party had booked the facility for October 29, insisting that the only booking for that date was made by the healthcare practitioners’ association. It described itself as a non-partisan facility, saying it had maintained a policy of declining requests to use its premises for political purposes since its establishment.
It also denied asking the police to stop the gathering, explaining that officers seen in viral videos were security escorts accompanying political aspirants who arrived at the venue after the cancellation notice was issued.
The centre further denied any involvement by the Enugu State Government, insisting that it received no direct or indirect instructions from any government official regarding the event.
As of Wednesday, the organisers maintained that the town hall meeting would take place as scheduled on Thursday, October 29, at Amadeo Event Centre.
The episode unfolded against a changing political context in Enugu. Mbah was elected governor in 2023 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party and subsequently joined the All Progressives Congress in October 2025. Obi, who contested the 2023 presidential election as the Labour Party candidate, remains a prominent opposition figure.
As of the latest reports, the allegation that Governor Mbah personally ordered the withdrawal remains unproven, while his denial stands as the administration’s publicly stated position and the venue’s explanation centres on a booking breach.
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