The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has explained how repeated last-minute cancellations disrupted its efforts to secure venues for its national convention.
Speaking on ARISE News on Tuesday, Chairman of the Media and Publicity Sub-committee for the ADC convention, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the party encountered multiple setbacks while trying to finalise a venue.
“What the ADC has passed through in the last few days, irrespective of venue, is shameful. I just have to put it. Very shameful,” he said.
The chieftain recounted a specific incident where a venue was withdrawn at short notice during an inspection.
“When we got to the event centre, they made another call. They said, Oh, sorry, they had an event that they will be holding, and they needed two days to plan for that event, and this one that we’re asking for fell within those two days,” he said.
According to him, the pattern of cancellations reflected what he described as pressure from those in power.
“People who sit in government, people who have 36 governors, pro-city ministers, people who have all the money in this world, are so panicky,” he said.
The latest incident, he added, involved the Rainbow Events Center, where the party finally settled to hold its convention.
He alleged that the venue’s management withdrew permission under external pressure.
“Shortly before midnight last night, we got reports that the owner of the Rainbow Events Center came out to tell the leadership… that he has been instructed to withdraw the permission, and he doesn’t want to lose his only means of earning,” he said.
Despite the challenges, Ologbondiyan said the party remained determined to proceed with the convention.
“If this order… is enforced, and ADC is denied the right to use the Rainbow Events Center, then we can as well go on the streets and condone the convention there, because the convention belongs to the party.”
He maintained that the party had fulfilled all contractual obligations for the venue.
“Having fulfilled all contractual engagements, including payments for the use of the venue, there’s no way we can withdraw… if those who are saying that we have to leave… they should come by themselves,” he said.
Ologbondiyan also dismissed concerns about the legality of the convention, insisting that the party had complied with electoral requirements.
“The expectation of the law… is that our duty stops when we issue the 21-day notice to INEC. We have done that.
“We have issued INEC the required 21-day notice… and we’ll have our convention today.”
He added that there was no legal impediment to the exercise.
“There’s no order anywhere stopping the convention. There’s no order anyway, asking that the party must not hold its convention.”
On internal disagreements within the party, including disputes arising from state congresses, he said such issues were part of normal party politics.
He, however, downplayed the impact of the disputes on the party’s cohesion.
“All these things that are happening now, there are not too much of worries in ADC.”
Looking ahead, he said questions around leadership and presidential ambition remain open, with the party yet to decide on its mode of candidate selection.
He said the immediate priority was to strengthen the opposition platform.
“What is important now is that this will allow the opposition party to build themselves… before they bring in the argument of who’s going to be the presidential candidate.”
Despite the tensions surrounding the convention, Ologbondiyan reiterated the party’s resolve, saying, “We are going ahead with the convention. ADC is the political party.”
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