Former Rivers State Governor and presidential aspirant of the African Democratic Congress, Rotimi Amaechi, has rejected the outcome of the party’s presidential primary election, throwing the opposition party into fresh crisis ahead of the 2027 general election.
Amaechi described the results announced from across the country as “concocted” and alleged that the exercise was marred by widespread irregularities, voter disenfranchisement, vote buying and manipulation of results.
The former Minister of Transportation made his position known on Tuesday in a statement posted on his verified X handle shortly after collation of results began at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja.
Amaechi, who contested alongside former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and economist Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, said he would not accept any outcome from a process that failed to meet the standards of fairness and transparency promised by the party.
According to him, a large number of party members across the country were denied the opportunity to participate in the direct primary election conducted in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory on Monday.
“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 stated.
He recalled that he had earlier promised to accept the outcome only if the process was free, fair and transparent.
“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 asked.
Amaechi also accused the party of engaging in the same practices it had often condemned in other political parties and past elections.
According to him, the ADC was formed to provide Nigerians with a credible alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress and other established parties.
“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.
“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’s protest came only a few hours after fellow aspirant Hayatu-Deen also rejected the process and boycotted the final collation and declaration ceremony in Abuja.
The economist and politician, who spoke through a statement posted on his verified X handle, alleged that the primary election was compromised by widespread rigging.
“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,” Hayatu-Deen stated.
Despite the protests from two of the three contestants, collation of results continued on Tuesday night under the supervision of party officials and observers from the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Early results showed Atiku maintaining a commanding lead across most states of the federation.
Out of the 24 states and the Federal Capital Territory announced before party officials went on break late Tuesday night, Atiku won in 22 states and the FCT, while Amaechi secured victories in only Akwa Ibom and Ebonyi states.
The former vice president recorded huge margins in several states, further strengthening his position as the likely winner of the primary.
In Ekiti State, Atiku polled 18,395 votes to defeat Amaechi, who scored 1,574 votes, while Hayatu-Deen got 149 votes.
In the Federal Capital Territory, Atiku secured 18,704 votes, while Amaechi scored 14,721 and Hayatu-Deen polled 5,575 votes.
In Gombe State, Atiku got 136,933 votes, while Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen secured 1,141 and 455 votes respectively.
Atiku also dominated in Enugu State with 33,879 votes. Amaechi scored 15,127 votes while Hayatu-Deen polled 669 votes.
In Benue State, Atiku polled 55,177 votes, ahead of Amaechi’s 30,881 votes and Hayatu-Deen’s 22,141 votes.
The former vice president also led in Yobe, Ondo, Edo, Adamawa, Zamfara, Borno, Osun, Kano, Taraba, Nasarawa, Imo, Oyo, Anambra, Kebbi, Sokoto, Niger and Plateau states.
One of Atiku’s biggest victories came from his home state of Adamawa where he secured 177,141 votes, while Hayatu-Deen got 18,949 votes and Amaechi scored 1,896 votes.
In Kano State, Atiku polled 155,595 votes, leaving Hayatu-Deen with 15,914 votes and Amaechi with 9,994 votes.
However, Amaechi managed to secure victories in Akwa Ibom and Ebonyi states.
In Akwa Ibom, the former Rivers governor polled 20,343 votes to defeat Atiku, who scored 17,623 votes, while Hayatu-Deen got 2,054 votes.
In Ebonyi State, Amaechi secured 6,400 votes, ahead of Hayatu-Deen’s 4,840 votes and Atiku’s 1,210 votes.
The growing controversy surrounding the primary has raised concerns over unity within the ADC, especially as the party attempts to position itself as a strong opposition force ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The party has in recent months attracted several prominent politicians dissatisfied with developments in the country’s major political parties.
Responding to the allegations, the ADC leadership urged aggrieved aspirants to channel their complaints through the party’s internal structures instead of making public accusations.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said there was no evidence yet to support claims that the primary election was rigged in favour of Atiku.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today program, Abdullahi explained that collation of results was still ongoing and that it was too early to reach conclusions.
“We currently do not have sufficient evidence to either support or dismiss those claims. Since the results are still being collated, we have not observed any clear pattern that would substantiate such allegations,” he said.
He added that the party had already established legal and constitutional mechanisms for resolving disputes arising from the primary.
“At this stage, we do not have enough information to conclusively say whether the allegations are true or false. We expect to have a clearer picture by the end of the day,” he added.
Abdullahi also dismissed concerns about a parallel faction within the party, insisting that INEC recognises the current leadership of the ADC and has monitored all stages of the congresses and primaries nationwide.
According to him, INEC officials attended the governorship, National Assembly and presidential primaries conducted by the party across the federation.
The presidential primary collation ceremony in Abuja was attended by several party leaders, including ADC National Chairman David Mark, former Sports Minister Solomon Dalung and Senator Tunde Ogbeha.
As tension continues to rise within the party, political observers say the manner in which the ADC handles the dispute may determine its stability and public image ahead of the next general election.