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ADC convention on the brink as Abuja venue crisis deepens

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By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA — With less than 24 hours to its national convention, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) was still without a venue in Abuja, throwing a major opposition gathering into uncertainty at a critical moment for the party.

The last-minute scramble reflects mounting pressure on the ADC, from stalled approvals and failed venue talks to a deepening internal crisis, as it prepares for a convention expected to shape its leadership and role in a broader opposition coalition ahead of 2027.

The development was disclosed by Kola Ologbondiyan, media aide to Senator David Mark, the embattled National Chairman of the ADC.

“24 hours to the ADC National Convention, the Nigerians-aligned political party is yet to be issued a venue,” Ologbondiyan said.

According to him, the party formally approached the office of the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, seeking approval to use Eagle Square, but has received no response despite an acknowledgement.

“A letter was presented to the Office of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Chief Nyesom Wike, for a permit to use the Eagles Square. The letter was acknowledged but no response,” he added.

He said the party also explored using facilities at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, including the Velodrome, but those efforts failed.

“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,” Ologbondiyan stated.

Beyond public facilities, he said privately owned event centres have also declined to host the convention, citing fears of possible repercussions.

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

Despite the setbacks, the ADC insisted the convention will go ahead as planned, pointing to its formal notice to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

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

The convention is expected to draw thousands of delegates and is a key step in the party’s effort to strengthen its structure and consolidate alliances ahead of the next general election cycle.

It is, however, unfolding against a backdrop of a protracted leadership crisis, with rival factions laying claim to the party and the electoral body yet to recognise a unified structure.

While the Mark-led faction is pushing ahead with the convention, a rival bloc aligned with Dumebi Kachikwu has rejected the process and is charting a separate course, deepening uncertainty over the party’s cohesion.


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2027: Terrorism increasingly becoming political strategy – Lagos APC Scribe

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The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Lagos State, on Monday, claimed that terrorism has become a political strategy ahead of the 2027 general elections, lamenting the resurgence of insecurity, renewed terrorism activities, and coordinated attacks as the 2027 general elections draw near.

The recent past spokesman of the state APC, Seye Oladejo, in a statement he signed, tagged ‘Dateline 2027: When Terrorism Becomes a Political Strategy,’ said the pattern is becoming difficult to ignore.

His words read, “As Nigeria gradually moves towards the 2027 general elections, a troubling pattern is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Across various parts of the country, there has been a noticeable resurgence of insecurity, renewed terrorist activity, coordinated attacks on communities, and a steady attempt to amplify fear and uncertainty within the public space.

“To dismiss these developments as mere coincidence would be to ignore both history and common sense.

“Nigeria has witnessed this script before. At critical political junctures, when electoral contests begin to take shape and political interests become heightened, forces that thrive on instability often emerge from the shadows. They exploit existing fault lines, sponsor narratives of despair, fuel public anxiety, and seek to create the impression of a nation under siege.

“No responsible observer can overlook the timing of the recent escalation in insecurity. While security agencies continue to record significant successes against criminal and terrorist elements, there appears to be a determined effort by certain interests to ensure that every isolated incident is magnified into evidence of national collapse. The objective is clear: create fear, erode public confidence, weaken institutions, and convert national security challenges into political capital.

“The Nigerian people must ask themselves a fundamental question: Who benefits from a climate of fear and instability?

“Certainly not the farmer whose crops are abandoned because of insecurity. Certainly not the trader whose business suffers. Certainly not the young graduate searching for opportunities. Certainly not the families who simply desire peace and stability.”




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‘No evidence’ — Atiku dismisses Babachir Lawal’s ADC rigging claim

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‘No evidence’ —  Atiku dismisses Babachir Lawal’s ADC rigging claim

The camp of African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has dismissed allegations of manipulation in the party’s presidential primary made by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, insisting that no credible evidence was presented to support the claims.

In a statement issued on behalf of the former Vice President by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the Atiku camp described Lawal’s accusations as unsubstantiated and politically motivated.

“Having chosen to malign a democratic process, insult thousands of ADC members nationwide, and make grave allegations without presenting a shred of evidence, it has become necessary to set the record straight,” the statement said.

Lawal had resigned from the ADC on Monday, criticising the outcome of the party’s presidential primary and alleging that the process was influenced. But Atiku’s camp maintained that the exercise was transparent and reflected the will of party members across the country.

Shaibu said the former SGF failed to substantiate his claims. “The truth is straightforward. The ADC presidential primaries were conducted across thousands of wards and produced a clear and decisive outcome. What Mr Lawal has offered Nigerians is not evidence. He has produced no documents, no verifiable facts, no credible witnesses, and no proof whatsoever to support his sensational allegations.”

The statement further questioned Lawal’s consistency, pointing to his acceptance of outcomes in related contests within the party structure. It alleged that he had raised objections only when the outcome did not favour his preferred candidate.

“Mr Lawal has also failed to explain how the very same primary process he now dismisses as fraudulent somehow produced a result he appears perfectly willing to accept in Adamawa State, where his cousin, Omar Suleiman, emerged as the ADC governorship candidate,” Shaibu said.

“Nigerians are entitled to ask whether the process was only credible when it favoured his family and only rigged when it produced a presidential candidate he did not support.”

The Atiku camp also referenced Lawal’s past controversies, including his removal as SGF in 2017 over allegations linked to contract awards in the Presidential Initiative on the North-East, popularly referred to as the “grass-cutting scandal.” Lawal has denied wrongdoing.

According to Shaibu, Lawal’s latest criticisms stem from dissatisfaction with the outcome rather than genuine concerns about internal democracy.

“What appears to have truly unsettled Mr Lawal is not the conduct of the primaries but the outcome. Democracy guarantees participation, not victory. One cannot celebrate democracy when it produces a preferred result and suddenly condemn it as rigged when it does not.”

The statement also condemned what it described as attempts to introduce ethnic or religious sentiments into internal party disputes, warning that such rhetoric was divisive and unhelpful.

Atiku’s camp insisted that the former Vice President remains focused on national issues ahead of the 2027 elections, adding that the ADC presidential contest would ultimately be decided by Nigerians based on governance, economic recovery, and security concerns.

The post ‘No evidence’ — Atiku dismisses Babachir Lawal’s ADC rigging claim appeared first on Vanguard News.


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ADC: Babachir Lawal handed Atiku stinging rebuke – Presidency mocks

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The Presidency has reacted to the resignation of former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, from the African Democratic Congress, ADC, describing it as a setback for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, in a post on X on Monday said Lawal’s resignation amounted to a strong rejection of Atiku and the ADC.

“Babachir David Lawal just handed Atiku Abubakar and his captured ADC a stinging rebuke, along with a bitter divorce,” Onanuga wrote while sharing a post by the former SGF.

DAILY POST reports that the reaction followed Lawal’s announcement on Facebook that he had resigned from the party over alleged irregularities in its recently concluded primaries.

Lawal claimed that the primaries at various levels were manipulated in favour of Atiku and his supporters, alleging that election results were altered and that some winners were replaced by individuals loyal to the former vice president.

The former SGF said he could not remain in a party he accused of operating a “rigging machine” ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He also accused Atiku and his allies of pursuing ethnic and religious interests, arguing that the former vice president’s emergence as a presidential candidate would ultimately strengthen President Bola Tinubu’s chances of securing a second term.

Lawal further criticised northern political leaders and delegates, whom he accused of supporting Atiku’s emergence despite the region’s economic and security challenges.




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