Amaechi Rejects ADC Presidential primary results, alleges widespread voter disenfranchisement

Former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi has rejected the outcome of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary election, claiming the exercise held on Monday was marred by widespread disenfranchisement of voters.

In a post on his X account on Tuesday, ahead of the official announcement of results, Amaechi stated that the process did not live up to the standards of transparency and fairness the party had earlier promised.

“Following reports of widespread voter disenfranchisement in most parts of the country during the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Primaries, I unequivocally reject the concocted results being announced,” he wrote.

Amaechi, who was vying for the ADC presidential ticket alongside former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, maintained that he would only accept the outcome of a process that was free, fair, and transparent.

“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,” he said.

The former Rivers State governor alleged that a large number of party members were denied the opportunity to vote, insisting that such practices contradicted the ideals upon which the ADC was founded.

“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 backgrounds, ethnicity, or religion,” he added.

Amaechi further accused the party of engaging in the very electoral malpractices it had previously condemned in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“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 said.

His rejection came hours after fellow aspirant Mohammed Hayatu-Deen also withdrew from the exercise over alleged irregularities. In a statement posted on his X account on Tuesday, Hayatu-Deen expressed concern over reports of widespread electoral malpractice across the country, noting that he personally witnessed some of the incidents.

“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,” his statement read.

The ADC presidential primary collation exercise is currently taking place in Abuja, with results expected from across the country.

Ahead of the nationwide primary, the ADC had urged aspirants, party leaders, delegates, and members to conduct themselves peacefully and uphold party unity. In a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, described the exercise as a defining moment for both the ADC and Nigerians seeking a credible political alternative. He stated that the party 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,” Abdullahi said.

The party also stressed that the conduct of aspirants and members during the exercise would reflect the leadership culture the ADC seeks to promote.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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