Former Rivers State Governor and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has rejected the outcome of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primaries, describing the results being announced by the party as “concocted.”
In a strongly worded statement released after the primaries, Amaechi alleged widespread voter disenfranchisement and electoral malpractice during the exercise conducted across the country. According to him, a large percentage of party members were prevented from voting, making the process neither free nor credible.
Amaechi insisted that he had earlier made it clear he would only accept the outcome of the primaries if the process was free, fair and transparent. He said the developments witnessed during the election fell far below the standards the ADC had promised Nigerians.
The former Rivers governor accused the party of engaging in the same practices it had previously condemned in other political parties and electoral processes, including vote buying, result manipulation and the disenfranchisement of voters.
“There’s no way that about eighty percent of members of the party were not allowed to vote, and you expect me to accept such results,” Amaechi stated.
He further argued that the ADC was created to provide Nigerians with a credible alternative platform capable of restoring accountability, fairness and inclusiveness in governance, warning that the party risks losing public trust if such allegations are ignored.
The controversy surrounding the primaries has continued to deepen as conflicting results emerged from different states.
In Bayelsa State, Amaechi was declared winner after reportedly polling 44,404 votes ahead of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen. However, Atiku recorded victories in states including Edo and Sokoto, where he defeated both Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen by wide margins.
Meanwhile, Hayatu-Deen had also rejected the result stating that he would not be attending the announcement giving reasons that the election was rigged.
The exercise was also marred by confusion in some states, particularly Ebonyi, where rival factions of the ADC announced separate winners in parallel primaries, further exposing internal divisions within the party.
As of now, tensions remain high within the ADC, with party supporters and political observers closely watching how the leadership will respond to the growing allegations and disputes surrounding the presidential primary process.