ADC Crisis Deepens As Amaechi Rejects Presidential Primary Results

Former Governor of Rivers State and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has rejected the outcome of the presidential primary election conducted by the African Democratic Congress (ADC), alleging widespread voter disenfranchisement and electoral malpractice during the exercise held across the country on Monday.

Hotnews gathered that Amaechi made his position known in a statement issued on Tuesday through his X handle, hours before the official announcement of the primary election results. He described the process as flawed and inconsistent with the principles of transparency and fairness as promised by the leadership.

The former minister said reports from different parts of the country indicated that a large number of party members were denied the opportunity to participate in the primary election, insisting that such a process could not produce credible results.

According to him, “Following reports of widespread voter disenfranchisement in most parts of the country during the African Democratic Congress Presidential Primaries yesterday, I unequivocally reject the concocted results being announced.”

Amaechi, who participated in the exercise at his ward in Rivers State, was one of the three major contenders for the ADC presidential ticket alongside former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.

He maintained that he had earlier made it clear that he would only accept the outcome of a primary election that was free, fair, and transparent, stressing that the process conducted by the party fell short of those standards.

“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,” Amaechi stated.

The former Rivers governor further alleged that nearly eighty percent of party members were unable to vote during the exercise, a development he described as a betrayal of the ideals upon which the ADC was established.

“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?” he queried.

Amaechi noted that the ADC was expected to serve as a credible alternative political platform capable of restoring public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic process, adding that practices such as voter suppression and result manipulation were contrary to the party’s founding principles.

“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 added.

He also accused the party of engaging in the same electoral practices it had consistently criticized in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), including vote buying, result writing, and voter disenfranchisement.

“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 leads to the disenfranchisement of voters who are party members. This is not acceptable!” he declared.

Amaechi’s rejection of the process came shortly after fellow aspirant Mohammed Hayatu-Deen announced his withdrawal from the exercise over similar allegations of irregularities.

In a statement posted on his X handle, Hayatu-Deen said he would not attend the official announcement of the election results, citing widespread reports of vote rigging across the country.

“I will not be attending the announcement of the ADC Presidential Election Results today. I am concerned by reports from across the country of widespread vote rigging, some of which I myself observed, and will therefore be taking advice on my next steps,” he stated.

The ADC presidential primary collation exercise is currently taking place in Abuja, with results expected from various states across the federation.
Prior to the nationwide primary election, the ADC had called on aspirants, delegates, party leaders, and members to conduct themselves peacefully and uphold party unity throughout the process.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, described the presidential primary as a defining moment for both the party and Nigerians searching for a credible political alternative ahead of the 2027 general elections.

According to Abdullahi, the ADC remained committed to internal democracy and a transparent leadership selection process.

“The ADC remains proud to stand today as the only truly democratic party in Nigeria because it is the only political party whose choice of presidential candidate is determined through open primaries,” he had stated.

The party leadership also emphasized that the conduct of aspirants and party members during the exercise would reflect the democratic values and leadership culture the ADC seeks to promote in Nigeria’s political landscape.

~ Hot News Reporters
Wednesday 27, May, 2026