ABUJA — Marketers and business owners at the popular Banex Plaza in Wuse, Abuja, on Wednesday rejected attempts by All Progressives Congress (APC) members to display campaign banners featuring President Bola Tinubu, instead chanting support for Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi.
Videos circulating widely on social media captured scenes of tension in the plaza’s courtyard as APC-branded banners welcoming “Barr. Sheyi Tinubu” and bearing images of the president, Vice President Kashim Shettima and the party’s logo were brought to the commercial complex. One banner was shown spread on the ground amid gathered traders.
The traders repeatedly said that they will not allow the Tinubu banner: “Dem no gree allow Tinubu banner for Banex Plaza, they don’t want Tinubu.” Another voice added, “We don’t need Tinubu o.”
Business owners reacted strongly to the APC presence. In a separate video, they declared: “We Didn’t Welcome Them; They Are Forcing Themselves on Us.”
Crowds of marketers responded by repeatedly chanting “Na Peter Obi we want!” and “Obi! Obi!” while people watched from balconies and the courtyard filled with activity. Overlay text in one widely shared clip referenced an attempt “to spoil Peter Obi name at Banex.” The videos show banners being handled or displayed against a backdrop of the chants and milling traders.
Banex Plaza, a major hub for electronics, phones and gadgets, has long been associated with strong grassroots political expression. In the lead-up to the 2023 elections, then-Labour Party candidate Peter Obi drew large crowds there during a visit. Obi is now the presidential flag-bearer of the NDC for the 2027 general elections, running with former Kano governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
The incident comes as political parties intensify early positioning ahead of the 2027 polls. President Tinubu’s APC is preparing its re-election bid, while opposition figures including Obi have criticised the administration’s economic record and governance.
On Thursday, an account linked to Banex Plaza Abuja posted a disclaimer stating that the plaza is a commercial property with “no political affiliation or institutional position against the APC or any other political party,” and that individual views expressed should not be taken as the official position of the complex.
Neither the APC nor the NDC had issued an official statement on the specific episode as of Thursday morning. The videos have drawn significant online attention and debate over the reception of political campaigning in commercial spaces.
The episode underscores the charged atmosphere in the Federal Capital Territory as Nigeria’s next electoral cycle gathers pace.
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