A former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has rejected the outcome of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential primaries, alleging widespread voter disenfranchisement and electoral malpractice during the exercise.
In a statement posted on his X handle on Tuesday, Amaechi described the results being announced by the party as “concocted,” insisting he would not accept an outcome that failed to meet standards of fairness and transparency.
According to him, he had earlier maintained that he would only accept the outcome of the primaries if the process was free, fair and transparent.
Amaechi accused the leadership of the African Democratic Congress of betraying the ideals the party claimed to represent in its bid to provide Nigerians with an alternative political platform.
He alleged that a significant number of party members were denied the opportunity to vote during the exercise, questioning how the process could be considered credible when, according to him, nearly 80 per cent of members were allegedly disenfranchised.
The former Rivers State governor said the ADC was established to amplify the voices of ordinary Nigerians and promote fairness, inclusion and national unity regardless of ethnic or religious differences.
Amaechi further accused the party of engaging in the same electoral malpractices it had previously criticised in the ruling All Progressives Congress and the Independent National Electoral Commission, including vote buying, result manipulation and voter suppression.
The ADC conducted a nationwide direct primary on Monday to select its candidate for the 2027 presidential election, with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, former Managing Director of the defunct FSB International Bank Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, and Amaechi emerging as the major contenders.
Although the party’s national leadership has yet to formally announce the final collated results from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, figures obtained from some states indicated that Atiku was maintaining an early lead, with Amaechi trailing behind and Hayatu-Deen in third position.
