The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has raised the alarm over what it described as political interference following the cancellation of its booking at Rainbow Event Centre in Abuja, venue of its planned National Convention.
The party said the development occurred on the eve of the event scheduled for Tuesday, sparking concerns over the shrinking space for opposition activities.
ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, disclosed the incident late Monday in a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account, alleging that the venue’s management acted under external pressure.
According to him, the owner of the event centre was allegedly threatened with revocation of his licence by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, in conjunction with the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), if he allowed the opposition party to use the facility.
“After paying all the required fees and setting up for our convention, the owner informed us that he had come under pressure from the FCDA and the FCT Minister that his licence would be revoked if the event goes ahead,” Abdullahi said.
Despite the setback, the party maintained that it would proceed with its convention as planned, citing a valid contractual agreement already in place with the venue.
“We have a binding contract and will go ahead with the convention at the Rainbow Event Centre,” he added.
Abdullahi described the situation as an attempt to intimidate the opposition, warning that the ADC would resist any effort to undermine democratic participation.
“We will not bow to this creeping tyranny,” he said, insisting that the party remained committed to its political activities.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the FCT Administration nor the FCDA had issued an official response to the allegations.
The incident comes against the backdrop of increasing political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections, with opposition parties stepping up efforts to strengthen their platforms and expand their reach.
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