The Imo State Government has come under public scrutiny following reports that a private event centre in Owerri was marked for possible demolition and its management ordered to produce relevant property documents shortly after hosting a town hall meeting by former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
The facility, Foret Events Centre, located along Port Harcourt Road, near Concord Junction, New Owerri, was reportedly sprayed with red paint bearing a notice directing its management to present its title documents and ground rent receipts within 48 hours.
The inscription on the property read: “Show your title document and ground rent within 48hrs, by Imo State Government.”
The marking was discovered on Tuesday, barely days after the centre hosted a town hall meeting organised by the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
Obi, the party’s presidential candidate, alongside other political stakeholders, held the meeting at the venue on October 31, 2026. The event attracted a large crowd of supporters, party leaders and residents.
During the gathering, Obi reportedly criticised President Bola Tinubu, claiming that the President had not spent a single night in Imo State since assuming office.
Following the circulation of photographs and videos showing the marked property on social media, the development triggered widespread reactions, with several Nigerians linking the government’s action to the venue’s recent hosting of the opposition political event.
Some NDC supporters described the incident as political intimidation and a possible attempt to discourage private facility owners from providing venues for opposition activities.
They questioned the timing of the action, arguing that its occurrence barely 10 days after Obi’s town hall meeting raised suspicions about possible political motives.
Others interpreted the development as a warning to event centre operators, particularly in the South-East, against hosting Obi and other opposition figures.
However, the circumstances surrounding the marking of the property remain unclear, as no official explanation has been provided to establish whether the action was connected to alleged regulatory or land documentation violations.
As of the time of filing this report, the Imo State Government had yet to issue an official statement clarifying the legal basis for the marking or confirming whether a formal demolition order had been issued against the facility.
The incident has continued to generate debate over political freedom, the treatment of opposition supporters and the need for government authorities to ensure that regulatory enforcement is carried out transparently and without political interference.
Comments