Two presidential aspirant of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rotimi Amaechi and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, have separately rejected the party’s presidential primary results.
The ADC conducted a nationwide direct primary on Monday to pick its candidate for the 2027 presidential election, with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, former managing director of the defunct FSB International Bank, and Amaechi as the main contenders.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Amaechi alleged widespread voter disenfranchisement and electoral malpractice during the process, adding that the results are being “concocted”.
“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 said.
“I had initially stated that I will only accept the outcome of the Primaries if the process was free, fair, and transparent, and I stand by my word.
“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.
“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.
“Then what makes us different from the others? 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 background, ethnicity, or religion.
“A party that criticizes 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!”
Meanwhile, returning officers for the ADC presidential primary have begun arriving at the congress hall of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, the collation centre where the results will be announced.
Abubakar is leading the race, having secured victories in more than 10 states, including Gombe, Abia, Sokoto and Zamfara.
Earlier on Tuesday, Hayatu-Deen said he will not attend the announcement of the party’s presidential primary results due to “widespread irregularities and vote rigging” he personally witnessed.
Hayatu-Deen described the results being announced at the various wards as “concocted”, insisting that the exercise failed to meet standards of fairness and transparency.
