The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, of threatening to revoke the licence of a Rainbo Event Centre, the venue for its national convention.
In a statement issued on Monday night, the party’s national publicity secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the convention scheduled for Tuesday would go ahead as planned at the Rainbow Event Centre despite the alleged pressure.
Abdullahi said that the management of the venue informed the party that it had come under pressure from the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) and the FCT minister, warning that its licence could be revoked if it allowed the ADC to use its facility.
“After paying all the fees required and setting up for our convention tomorrow, the owner of Rainbow Event Centre has just informed us that he has come under pressure from the FCDA and the minister of the FCT that if he allows the ADC the use of his facilities, his licence will be revoked,” the statement read.
The spokesman added that the party had already signed a contract with the venue and would not back down.
“We will hold our convention tomorrow as planned at the Rainbow Event Centre. We will not bow to this creeping tyranny,” he said.
The ADC had alleged that it had been denied access to other major public venues in Abuja, including the Eagle Square and the Moshood Abiola Stadium, accusing the minister and the ruling party of deliberately frustrating its efforts to organise the convention.
However, Wike denied the allegation while speaking to journalists in Abuja on Monday, insisting that his office did not receive any request from the party for the use of any facility.
The party, in response, posted what it described as a stamped copy of its letter to the management of Eagle Square, showing that the request had been acknowledged.
The development comes amid ongoing tensions between the ADC and the ruling party, with the opposition accusing government officials of attempts to stifle its political activities ahead of the 2027 general election.
