The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and the FCDA of attempting to block its national convention by threatening to revoke the license of the Rainbow Event Centre.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has raised an alarm over alleged attempts by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to disrupt its scheduled national convention in Abuja. Bolaji Abdullahi, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, revealed in a statement on Tuesday that the management of the Rainbow Event Centre reported being under intense pressure to cancel the party’s booking. “After paying all the fees required, 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 Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike that if he allows the ADC the use of his facilities, his licence will be revoked,” Abdullahi wrote, describing the move as an act of a “petty tyrant.”
Reacting to the development, former Vice-President and ADC chieftain Atiku Abubakar condemned the alleged interference as a gross abuse of state power. Abubakar argued that using administrative threats to stifle the activities of a lawfully registered opposition party is a direct assault on the nation’s democratic foundations. “The reports from the spokesperson of our great party… is a shameful and cowardly abuse of public office,” he stated, further asserting that “coercing a private business owner to deny a lawfully registered opposition party the use of a venue is not governance.” He characterized the administration’s alleged actions as the conduct of a regime that has lost its connection with the people and resorted to intimidation.
Despite the reported threats, the ADC leadership has maintained that the convention will proceed as planned at the designated venue. Abdullahi insisted that the party had already fulfilled its contractual obligations with the event center and would not be intimidated into changing its schedule. “We will hold our convention tomorrow as planned at the Rainbow event centre. We will not bow to this creeping tyranny,” he emphasized. The standoff comes amid heightened political tensions as opposition parties seek to consolidate their structures ahead of future electoral cycles, with this latest incident sparking a broader debate on the shrinking space for political dissent in the capital.
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