ADC Drags Abuja Hotel To Court Over Last Minute Event's Cancellation

...Demands N100 million Damages 

African Democratic Congress, ADC, has demanded N100 million in damages from the Wells Carlton Hotel and Apartments in Asokoro, Abuja, seeking N100 million in damages following the abrupt cancellation of a fully paid venue reservation just hours before its highly anticipated coalition unveiling event.

Tha party also, demanded a full refund of the N6 million payment for the venue, a public apology, as well as the N100 million in damages from the hotel for breach of contract, embarrassment, and the inconvenience caused. 

The cancellation which sent shockwaves through the political landscape, was described by opposition leaders as a clear case of state-backed sabotage orchestrated to derail the emergence of a formidable opposition bloc ahead of the 2027 general elections, according to reports by the News Express.

The event which was scheduled for July 2, 2025, was meant to unveil the ADC as the central platform for a broad-based coalition of opposition political heavyweights, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, former Senate President David Mark, and ex-governors Nasir El-Rufai and Rauf Aregbesola among several others.

However, just before midnight on July 1, less than 24 hours to the event, the upscale Wells Carlton Hotel issued a shock notice canceling the booking, citing an ambiguous “internal compliance matter,” as reasons.

The cancellation sparked immediate backlash. 

A screenshot of the hotel’s message, shared by media personality and politician, Dele Momodu, read: “We are unable to proceed with hosting your scheduled event… We deeply apologise for the timing and inconvenience this may cause.” The timing and vagueness of the cancellation fueled speculation that political pressure from ruling APC operatives forced the hotel’s hand.

The ADC was forced into a last-minute scramble, relocating the event to the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, where it held the coalition launch at 2:00 p.m. on July 2. According to the party’s legal counsel, Kabiru Abdullahi, the last-minute change inflicted both reputational and financial damage on the ADC.

“We were thrown into chaos. We had to secure another venue on short notice, reorganize logistics, and accommodate more guests than anticipated. The emotional and financial toll was significant,” Abdullahi stated.

The ADC has formally demanded “This breach not only violated a legally binding agreement but disrupted a major national event and tarnished the party’s public image,” he said.

So far, Wells Carlton Hotel has remained silent, neither responding to the ADC’s legal notice nor issuing any public statement to clarify its decision.