The African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Tuesday insisted that its national convention would go ahead as scheduled in Abuja, despite alleged last-minute attempts by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to deny the party the use of a private hotel for the event.
The party said it would not yield to what it described as “creeping tyranny,” alleging that officials of the FCDA, acting in concert with the FCT Minister, were trying to derail its planned political gathering.
ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, disclosed the development in a post on his X (formerly Twitter) handle late Monday, alleging that the management of the Rainbow Event Centre, the venue slated for the convention, was being subjected to undue pressure.
He claimed that FCDA officials had warned the venue’s owner that his operational licence could be revoked if he allowed the ADC to use the facility, despite the party having duly paid for and secured the venue.
“After paying all the required fees and setting up for our convention tomorrow (today), the owner of Rainbow Event Centre informed us that he has come under pressure from the FCDA and the FCT Minister that if he allows ADC to use his facility, his licence will be revoked,” Abdullahi stated.
He added that the party had already entered into a binding agreement with the venue and would not be deterred by what it described as intimidation.
“But we have already signed the contract with him. We will hold our convention today as planned at the Rainbow Event Centre. We will not bow to this creeping tyranny, and definitely not to this petty tyranny. ADC is rising, Nigeria is rising,” he said.
The development has, however, sparked a war of words between the FCT authorities and the party over access to venues in the capital, particularly the Eagle Square.
While the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, reportedly maintained that his office did not receive any formal request from the ADC to use the Eagle Square or any public facility within the territory, a chieftain of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, countered the claim, insisting that a letter had been duly submitted and acknowledged.
Ologbondiyan, who spoke on a live television programme, said the party had documentary evidence of its correspondence with the minister’s office.
“It is strange to hear the minister say he is not aware. We wrote to his office and it was acknowledged. We also wrote to several private venue owners, but many declined, saying they were scared of the authorities. We now have a venue, but it was not easy securing one.
” Whether it is on the streets or on top of a tree, we will hold our convention today in Abuja,” he said.
The controversy comes amid earlier claims by the party that it was denied access to Eagle Square, a popular venue for major political events in Abuja, after applying to host its convention there.
As of press time, there was no official response from the FCDA or the office of the FCT Minister regarding the latest allegations concerning the Rainbow Event Centre.
