ADC accuses Wike of threatening venue owners with licence revocation over national convention
By Ishaya Ibrahim
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, of threatening the owners of the Rainbow Event Centre with licence revocation.
The Rainbow Event Centre is the venue for the ADC national convention slated for today. But ADC claimed the venue owner is being threatened because he granted the party the use of its facilities for the national convention.
The ADC had earlier raised the alarm that its request to use the Velodrome at the National Stadium was denied by the Sports Ministry. At the same time, the party claimed the FCT Minister refused to respond to its request to use Eagles Square, a claim the minister has denied.
In a statement issued by the ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said that after paying all necessary fees and signing contracts with the owners of the Rainbow Event Centre, the venue owner informed them he was being threatened by the FCT Minister.
The statement reads: “After paying all the fees required and setting up for our convention tomorrow, the owner of the Rainbow Event Centre has just informed us that he has come under pressure from the FCDA and the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike. He was told that if he allows the ADC the use of his facilities, his licence will be revoked.
“But we have already signed the contract with him. We will hold our convention tomorrow as planned at the Rainbow Event Centre.
“We will not bow to this creeping tyranny. And definitely not to this petty tyrant.”
