NDC accuses APC of blocking campaign venues and billboards ahead of 2027
- The Nigeria Democratic Congress says it paid for four venues and lost each one, most recently hours after announcing an event.
- APC, through an unnamed official, called the claim baseless and asked which state or ministry was involved.
- NDC spokesman Osa Director also said the party was shut out of billboard spaces but would keep reaching voters.
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) says it is being shut out of campaign venues and billboard spaces ahead of the 2027 general elections, and it blames the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The party's National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, made the claim on Arise Television on Monday. He said the NDC had paid for four different venues for its programmes and ran into a problem at each one.
The most recent booking, he said, was cancelled only hours after the party announced the event. He said the party was told that people he called "political marauders" had claimed ownership of the land and that its money would be returned.
Director said the party has also been unable to secure billboard space. Even so, he said the NDC will keep finding ways to reach voters.
"Nigeria belongs to us all. Nobody owns Nigeria,"
he said, adding that no individual or party can stop him from exercising his rights to free speech and assembly.
APC: which state, which ministry?
The APC rejected the allegation. An official who spoke to Vanguard on condition of anonymity asked whether Nigerians were in kindergarten, and said the party would not respond to what he called baseless claims.
He challenged the NDC to name the state or the ministry that allegedly denied it the use of facilities. Neither side named a specific venue, state or government office.
Director also pushed back on suggestions that the NDC is starting its campaign late. He said its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has held several town hall meetings and that the party has held at least four meetings, covering nearly all the zones. He said the NDC's approach is built on direct engagement rather than rallies and entertainment.
The party had planned to inaugurate its national campaign council, open its new secretariat in Jabi, Abuja, and hand certificates of return to its candidates on Monday. Director said the certificates are a formality because the candidates are already on the portal of INEC, the Independent National Electoral Commission.
He said the NDC will publish a statement of its finances and challenged the APC to do the same. He defended the party's anti-defection oath as a way to curb frequent party switching, and said members unhappy with primary results can go to court.
Director also dismissed claims that the party's National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, is secretly working for the APC, calling them baseless.
He warned that any attempt to narrow the political space could push democracy advocates back to the kind of underground journalism practised under military rule.
What happens next
The NDC says it will go ahead with its activities despite the alleged restrictions. The party has not said which venues or billboard owners it dealt with, and the APC has not responded to the specifics. With campaigns for 2027 gathering pace, how easily parties can book public spaces is likely to stay a talking point.
