Abuja hotels fully booked ahead of PDP, APC presidential primaries

As delegates of Nigeria’s major opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) converge on the country’s capital city of Abuja, in their thousands, like termites do when it rains and they see light in the night thereafter, for their presidential primaries this weekend, hotels and the hospitality sector, in general, is already benefiting from the positive externalities of the convergence.

The Presidential convention of PDP is held in Abuja on May 28th and 29th on Saturday and Sunday respectively, the fate of the 14 leading aspirants will be determined by 811 delegates comprising 40 per cent of statutory delegates and 60 per cent of elected from 774 local government areas and six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

In like manner, the ruling APC, have a total of 2,340 delegates, consisting of 1,257 from the north and 1,068 from the south. The party’s Presidential convention will be held on 29th and 30th on Sunday and Monday respectively.

It is this over 4,000 super delegates, that’s if the President does not sign the amended electoral law on his table altering this number, and other political gladiators that are set to converge in Abuja this weekend that Nigerian Tribune went around the Federal Capital City (FCC) area of Abuja to have a fact check on the impact of the massive and huge visitation on hotels and hospitality sector in general.

At the Nicon Luxury hotel, in Area 11, guests were seen leaving the hotel in droves, checking out and being turned back because the hotel was booked for the whole weekend.

Nigerian Tribune spoke to a top management staff member, Mr Atabor Abu, who said; “As you can see, guests are checking out and we are not accepting new guests because the hotel is fully booked, they have already booked like a month back because of the upcoming Presidential primaries of APC and PDP this weekend, if we give out rooms today and the guests refuse to check out tomorrow, there will be a problem” when asked if the hotel was hiking room rates to cash on scramble and rush, he simply said; “To get a room here will be very difficult”.

In the same Area 11, inside the popular Ojuelegba Amala Point, one of the managers, Joshua Uwusha, told Tribune Online; “Business is booming for a few days, politicians are already getting into town and when they come they normally patronize us.”

Other hotels that were fully booked included, Top Rank Hotel, T.O.S.Benson Crescent, off Ngozi Okonjo-Iwuela Way; Links Hotel, Plot 1078, Cadastral Zone B5, Abuja; Glamour Park Hotels, 8 Anthony Enahoro Street Utako; Fraiser Suite, 294 Leventis Close, Central Business District, Abuja; Berbera Palace Hotel, Wuse in Abuja.

In order to cash in it on the boom, 5-star hotels in the FCC, Nigerian Tribune gathered have hiked their rates, Transcorp Hilton Hotels, Maitama, now goes for N243,000 per day against the previous price, N107,000 for little rooms. At the Sheraton Hotel, the average price for little rooms was N70,000 and is now going to N120,000.

Meanwhile, the FCT Police command came out to assure the visiting delegates and residents of the FCT of protection during the Presidential primaries.

In a statement issued to newsmen in Abuja via the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Josephine Adah, the FCT Police Commmiser, Babaji Sunday promised that: “Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary Elections is scheduled to hold from the 28th to 29th of May, 2022 at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium. The event is projected to be characterized by a high influx of people into the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

“Consequent upon the above and in a bid to ensure a hitch-free event, the FCT Police Command has designed a robust security arrangement defined by a generous deployment within and without the election ground and to every nooks and cranny of the Territory. The deployment prioritizes the protection of lives and properties of all and sundry by emplacing counter-insurgency measures, maintenance of clear road access, Robust Stop and search at strategic points around the suburbs and city centre, effective Crowd control, and intelligence gathering but to mention a few.” He stated.

The Commissioner of Police FCT Police Command CP Babaji Sunday while briefing the Divisional Police Officers, heads of the various Tactical and Intelligence Units of the Command scheduled for the operation, charged them to be on top of their games, discharging their duties with the utmost respect for Fundamental Human Rights and by standard best practices. He also charged the good people of the FCT to go about the discharge of their lawful duties without the fear of harassment or molestation of any kind from any quarters.

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

Revealed! Details Of South-West APC Leaders Meeting With Presidential Aspirants

MORE revelations have emerged about Friday’s meeting held by South-West leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with aspirants from the zone, whose main objective, was on how to avert a crisis that will create a fractured party as it prepares for primary on May 30 and 31, Sunday Tribune has reliably gathered…

Abuja hotels fully booked ahead of PDP, APC Presidential primaries

Supreme Court Has Cleared Civil Servants To Participate In Politics, Falana Tells FG

Abuja hotels fully booked ahead of PDP, APC Presidential primaries