Former Minister of Transport and presidential candidate African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rotimi Amaechi, has rejected the outcome of the party’s presidential primaries, describing them as compromised and not credible.
The ADC held direct primaries across the country on Monday to choose its candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
Key aspirants including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Mohammed Hayata-Deen and Amaechi participated in the exercise.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Amaechi accused the party of massive voter turnout and manipulation, claiming that the published results were faked.
He said he had previously promised to accept only a free, fair and transparent process, insisting the exercise failed to meet that standard.
According to him, about 80 percent of party members were refused participation, calling into question the credibility of the entire process.
Amaechi further argued that the ADC, which is positioning itself as an alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), should not be associated with the same electoral malpractices it criticizes.
He said that it is unacceptable for a party that condemns vote buying and manipulation of results to be associated with similar practices.
Meanwhile, ADC presidential collation officials have started arriving at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, the designated center for the declaration of results.
Initial results reportedly put Atiku Abubakar ahead, with wins in more than 10 states, including Gombe, Abia, Sokoto and Zamfara.
On a related note, one of the contestants, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, also announced that he would not attend the announcement of the results, citing widespread irregularities and alleged vote rigging observed during the process.
Hayatu-Deen described the results emanating from the various departments as “fabricated”, insisting that the exercise failed to meet basic standards of transparency and fairness.
