ADC’s Request For Convention Venue Suffers Setback, As FCT, Private Individuals Reject Letter

By Ayodele Oni 

Few hours to the commencement of its national convention, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), is yet to secure a venue for the event.

Virtually all places visited, including government and privately owned event centres, seem to be reluctant to release the property to the Party.

The ADC  fixed Tuesday, April 14 for the event, which is expected to attract delegates from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

The disclosure was made by a party chieftain, Kola Ologbondiyan, who on Monday, in a post on his X account, detailed what the party described as a series of setbacks and repeated refusals by both government-controlled and private venues.

The situation has raised fresh concerns over alleged attempts to frustrate the party’s activities.

According to Ologbondiyan, the party had formally applied to use the Eagles Square and submitted a letter to the office of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

Although the request was acknowledged, he said no approval has been granted.

“As the bromide has shown, a letter was presented to the Office of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister for a permit to use the Eagles Square. The letter was acknowledged but no response,” he stated.

He further revealed that efforts to secure the Velodrome at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium also failed, despite multiple visits to officials of the Federal Ministry of Sports.

“The ADC team paid several visits to the Ministry of Sports officials at the MKO Stadium. At the end, ADC was refused the use of the Velodrome,” the statement added.

In what the party described as a worsening situation, Ologbondiyan alleged that privately-owned event centres in Abuja are declining requests from the party due to fear of intimidation or reprisals.

“To make matters worse, privately owned event centres in Abuja are turning down the ADC requests for fear of harassment in various forms from the government,” he said.

Despite the logistical challenges, the party insisted that its national convention would proceed as planned in Abuja on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, in line with its earlier notice to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“All ADC members, teeming party supporters and indeed all Nigerians are assured that, as contained in the Notice issued to INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission), the ADC National Convention will hold in Abuja as scheduled on Tuesday, April 14th, 2026,” Ologbondiyan declared.

The latest development adds to earlier claims by the ADC that the administration of President Bola Tinubu was attempting to stifle opposition activities.

The Party’s spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, had previously told SaharaReporters that the party’s request for Eagles Square was ignored, while access to the Velodrome was denied over a purported sporting event.

However, the Presidency, through spokesman Sunday Dare, has denied the allegations, insisting that all political parties have equal rights under the law.

With no confirmed venue and the clock ticking, the ADC’s insistence on proceeding with its convention signals a looming confrontation between the opposition party and authorities.