The management of De Rainbow Event Centre has pushed back against claims that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, threatened to revoke its operational licence over the hosting of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) national convention.
The denial comes amid controversy surrounding the April 14 convention in Abuja, after earlier allegations suggested the venue was under pressure to cancel its booking.
She said, “We wish to categorically state that De Rainbow Event Marquee did not receive any threat of license revocation from the Honourable Minister of the FCT or from any other person or government institution.
“These reports were not authorised by us and, to the best of our knowledge, are untrue. They appear to have been circulated without verification.
“Members of the public and the media are therefore urged to disregard the allegation in its entirety and only rely on verified information.”
Yusuf explained that the clarification was necessary following concerns raised by clients over the status of existing bookings at the venue.
The dispute traces back to earlier claims by the ADC leadership under former Senate President David Mark, which alleged that the venue faced pressure to withdraw from hosting the convention.
Despite the alleged pressure, Abdullahi maintained that the ADC went ahead with the convention as planned, noting that all financial obligations had been met and a formal agreement had been secured with the venue beforehand.