Tinubu Arrives APC Convention Amid Tight Security

President Bola Tinubu has made his entrance at Eagle Square in Abuja to attend the “8th elective National Convention” of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Joining him for the high-stakes gathering are “Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, APC governors, ministers, lawmakers, and party delegates.” The evening’s proceedings “officially began at about 8:15 p.m.”

The event, however, has brought much of the capital to a standstill due to “tight security measures,” which have reportedly led to “journalists reportedly barred and harassed by security operatives.”

A massive presence of “police and soldiers cordoned off major access roads leading to Eagle Square,” causing widespread gridlock and “restricting movement and forcing many accredited journalists to trek long distances to access the venue.”

The situation at the perimeter remained tense as, “despite possessing valid accreditation tags, several reporters were turned back at checkpoints.” In some extreme instances, “some security personnel allegedly threatened to open fire on those attempting to gain entry.”

Even for the “journalists who eventually gained access,” the environment remained hostile; many who “sought temporary shelter at the Nasarawa State Pavilion” were ultimately “driven away following verbal confrontations with party delegates.”