Abuja workers forced to stay home as APC Convention shuts down Federal Secretariat

The Federal Government ordered all personnel at the Abuja Federal Secretariat to work from home as road closures for the APC National Convention—attended by President Tinubu, 32 governors, and over 8,000 delegates—shut down access to the administrative complex for two days.

Thousands of civil servants in Nigeria’s capital found themselves with an unexpected day off Friday as the Federal Government ordered all personnel at the Federal Secretariat complex to work from home—a sweeping measure to accommodate the All Progressives Congress National Convention taking over Eagle Square.

The directive, issued by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, mandated the closure of all access roads leading to the Secretariat’s three phases, as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for the duration of the two-day convention. According to the circular, all affected personnel were instructed to stay off-site on Friday, March 27, while the road closures remain in effect through Saturday.

The disruption comes as President Bola Tinubu, members of his cabinet, 32 state governors, and 8,453 delegates from across the country descend on Abuja for the high-profile leadership election. While party faithful celebrate the gathering under the theme ‘Unity in Progress: Consolidating the Renewed Hope Agenda,’ the logistical strain on the capital has forced government operations to a halt in key administrative zones.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, defended the scale of the event, stating during Thursday’s APC World Media Briefing, “The convention hopes to bring together delegates from across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory for policy engagement, leadership elections, and a formal transition to a new set of party executives.”

Meanwhile, former Katsina State Governor Aminu Masari, who chairs the Convention Central Coordinating Committee, dismissed concerns over zoning disputes that had threatened to overshadow the proceedings. “APC is a responsible party in Nigeria. In line with federal character, all offices are zoned,” he said.

For Abuja’s civil servants, however, the convention’s impact was felt not in political rhetoric but in empty office buildings and blocked commutes—a stark reminder of how party politics can grind government machinery to a halt.

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