Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has rejected the outcome of the presidential primaries conducted by the African Democratic Congress, alleging widespread voter disenfranchisement, vote buying and manipulation of results during the exercise.
Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers State, made his position known in a statement posted on his X handle on Tuesday shortly after the conclusion of the party’s nationwide direct primary election.
The former minister described the outcome being circulated from the exercise as “concocted,” insisting that the process failed to meet the standards of transparency and fairness expected of a party seeking to present itself as an alternative to the ruling government.
“Following reports of widespread voter disenfranchisement in most parts of the country during the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Primaries yesterday, I unequivocally reject the concocted results being announced,” Amaechi stated.
He maintained that he had made his position clear before the exercise that he would only recognise the outcome of the primaries if the process was credible and transparent.
“I had initially stated that I would only accept the outcome of the primaries if the process was free, fair, and transparent, and I stand by my word,” he said.
Amaechi accused the party leadership of abandoning the core principles upon which the ADC was founded, saying the conduct of the primaries contradicted the ideals of accountability and fairness the party had consistently preached to Nigerians.
“I will not accept results from a process that does not reflect the values that the ADC had pledged to uphold, to rescue Nigerians from the impunity and gross mismanagement that our country is currently facing in the hands of the ruling party,” he added.
The former Rivers governor further alleged that a significant number of party members across the country were denied the opportunity to participate in the exercise.
“There’s no way that about eighty per cent of members of the party were not allowed to vote, and you expect me to accept such results. Then what makes us different from the others?” he queried.
According to Amaechi, the ADC was created to provide ordinary Nigerians with a credible political platform where fairness, inclusion and equal participation would be guaranteed irrespective of ethnic or religious affiliation.
“The whole idea of the ADC was to give the Nigerian people a platform, to amplify the voices of the downtrodden, and make Nigeria a better place for everyone irrespective of backgrounds, ethnicity, or religion,” he said.
He also accused the party of engaging in the same practices it had previously criticised in the ruling All Progressives Congress and the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“A party that criticises the ruling APC and INEC for vote buying, rigging and writing of results, cannot be engaged in vote buying, writing of results, and other electoral malpractices that lead to the disenfranchisement of voters who are party members. This is not acceptable,” Amaechi stated.
The ADC conducted its nationwide direct presidential primary on Monday to select its candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
Although the party was yet to formally announce the final collated results from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory as of Tuesday evening, figures emerging from several states indicated that Atiku was maintaining a commanding lead in the early rounds of counting, with Amaechi trailing behind while Hayatu-Deen occupied third position.
