By Our Reporter
A major crisis is brewing within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) following the fallout of its nationwide presidential primary election.
Former Governor of Rivers State and former Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has unequivocally rejected the results filtered from various state collation centres, labeling the outcomes as “concocted” and completely unrepresentative of the party’s core values.
The outburst from the political heavyweight comes on the heels of parallel exercises and contentious internal tallies that saw former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar take an early, sweeping lead in several northern and southern states, including Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara, Sokoto, and Imo.
While Atiku’s camp has been celebrating what they describe as a democratic mandate ahead of the 2027 general elections, Amaechi has insisted that the process was thoroughly compromised by systemic electoral malpractices.
In an official statement released shortly after the declaration of results across various regional collation points, Amaechi did not mince words.
He stated that he had entered the contest on the explicit condition that the primary would be free, fair, and transparent, a pledge he now claims the party leadership failed to uphold.
”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 declared.
The former governor expressed profound disappointment over the conduct of the Option A4 direct primary, which required party members to queue behind their preferred candidates.
According to him, the reality on the ground was a stark contrast to the transparent exercise promised by the party’s National Working Committee.
”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?” Amaechi questioned.
Amaechi directed his sharpest criticism at the apparent double standards within the ADC leadership.
He pointed out that a party which built its reputation on criticizing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should not be seen replicating the exact vices it condemns publicly.
”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!” he fired back.
He reminded stakeholders that the primary objective of the ADC was to offer Nigerians a credible “Third Force” alternative platform—one designed to amplify the voices of the downtrodden and rescue the nation from years of perceived impunity and economic mismanagement.
By allowing malpractices to stain its own internal democracy, Amaechi argued, the party risks losing the moral authority to challenge the ruling elite.
Political analysts tracking the 2027 pre-election cycle have noted that this development threatens to fracture the ADC, which has been positioning itself as a robust opposition block.
The primaries have already yielded heavily polarized outcomes. While Atiku recorded landslide figures in places like Zamfara (60,500 votes) and Taraba (48,523 votes), factions loyal to Amaechi declared him the winner in other states like Bayelsa and parts of Ebonyi, signaling a deep, systemic split in the party’s machinery.
Amaechi’s total rejection of the primary results sets up a high-stakes standoff within the ADC. With both regional heavyweights commanding massive loyalist bases, observers say how the party handles this grievance will determine whether it can remain a unified front or succumb to the fractious fate of alternative political platforms in Nigeria’s history.
As of press time, the national leadership of the ADC is yet to issue an official response to Amaechi’s scathing allegations.
