The Abia State Government has sealed the campaign office of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Partners (RHP) located in Umuahia, the state capital.
The RHP is a political support structure promoting the President’s agenda across the South East and is coordinated by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Benjamin Kalu.
According to reports, an official of the Renewed Hope Partners arrived for work and discovered that the office had been sealed without any prior notice. The official, who asked not to be named, expressed surprise at the development, saying the team had not been alerted to any issues concerning the property before the closure.
A notice pasted on the wall of the office by the Ministry of Lands and Housing stated that the building was sealed for violating specific provisions of the Abia State Tax Law. The ministry cited Sections 41 and 100 of the Abia State Tax Law (Codification and Consolidation), Law No. 7 of 2020, as the basis for the government’s action.
The warning issued by the ministry further cautioned that any individual whether the owner, occupant, neighbour, or passerby who attempts to unseal the property would also be in violation of the same law. The message clearly instructed the public to stay away from the premises until further notice.
Attempts to seek clarification from the phone numbers displayed on the ministry’s notice were unsuccessful, as the lines were switched off at the time of inquiry. This has left supporters of the group and residents curious about the circumstances surrounding the sudden sealing.
The development has generated reactions in the area, especially as the office belongs to a presidential support group active in the region. However, the state government is yet to issue any further explanation beyond the notice pasted on the premises.