‘No Battalion Can Stop ADC Convention’, Dino Melaye Insists Amid Venue Crisis

A member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) convention planning committee, Senator Dino Melaye, has declared that no force can stop the party from holding its national convention, despite reported attempts to deny it access to a venue.

The convention, scheduled for this Tuesday, faced uncertainty following claims that the party was being prevented from using the agreed facility.

Speaking on Arise News Channel’s The Morning Show on Tuesday, Melaye revealed that there were efforts to disrupt the event, including attempts to shut the gates of the venue and eject party officials.

“I have that information as a member of the planning committee and the chairman of the protocol committee, and not only we were even asked to leave yesterday, they wanted to shut the gates, but we insisted, and said we are not going to leave because we have a contract duly signed with this place, and we paid fully,” he said.

Melaye stressed that the party had fulfilled all contractual and financial obligations, insisting that the agreement with the venue owners remained binding.

“We have receipt of payments. We have duly signed contracts. The most important thing is that at the end of the day, we are here, and we will hold our convention here,” he added.

Reaffirming the party’s resolve, the former lawmaker maintained that the event would proceed as planned regardless of the challenges.

“Nobody will stop us. After a contract, a proper contract, with the owners of this place, and after payment and receipt issued, no battalion would have moved us away from here today. So the convention is going to hold. The exercise will hold. ADC is entrenched, and we are kicking out APC.”

LEADERSHIP reports that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had earlier alleged a plot by government agents to revoke the licence of the Rainbow Event Centre in Abuja over its decision to host the ADC national convention slated for this Tuesday.

Atiku made the claim in a post shared on his verified Facebook page on Tuesday, where he described the alleged move as “a shameful and cowardly abuse of public office.”

“The reports from the spokesperson of our great party, which exposes the plans of the government and its agents to revoke the licence of Rainbow Event Centre for the singular offence of hosting the African Democratic Congress convention slated for today, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, is a shameful and cowardly abuse of public office,” he wrote.

He criticised what he described as attempts to pressurise a private business owner to deny an opposition party access to a lawfully secured facility.

As of the time of filing this report, videos circulating online indicated that activities were set to commence at the Rainbows Event Centre, with delegates already arriving at the venue.