The Abia State government has shut down a campaign office belonging to President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Partners (RHP) in Umuahia, the state capital.
Located on Ojike Street, the office was sealed by the Ministry of Lands and Housing, according to a notice posted at the entrance.
The closure happened earlier today, drawing attention from residents who noticed government markings pasted across the entrance.
The sealed office is one of the structures used by the Renewed Hope Partners, a political network promoting President Tinubu’s agenda in the South-East and driven by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu.
According to an RHP official who spoke but requested anonymity, staff were completely taken by surprise.
He explained that he arrived for work only to meet the office barricaded with an enforcement notice.
The official also said there was no prior communication or warning from the state government before the action was carried out.
A document pasted at the entrance by the Ministry of Lands and Housing stated that the property was sealed for allegedly violating tax regulations under the Abia State Tax Law (Codification and Consolidation), Law No. 7 of 2020.
The notice read that the building is “in contravention of Sections 41 and 100 of the Abia State Tax Law… and it’s hereby sealed.”
It further warned that “any person… who attempts to unseal this building is in contravention of the Abia State Tax Law No. 7 of 2020. Be warned. Keep off.”
Attempts to obtain clarification from the phone numbers listed on the government notice were unsuccessful, as all numbers remained switched off at the time of filing this report.
Government officials have also not issued a statement addressing the development or explaining whether the sealing is temporary or part of a larger enforcement operation.
The Renewed Hope Partners, which has been expanding its presence in the South-East, recently intensified outreach activities in Abia, strengthening its grassroots structures and holding strategy meetings across the state.
