Two of the three presidential aspirants in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rotimi Amaechi and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, have rejected the outcome of the party’s presidential primary, alleging widespread rigging and voter disenfranchisement.
Their objections came on Tuesday as the party continued collating results from the nationwide exercise conducted on Monday, May 25, ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Amaechi, a former Minister of Transportation, said in a statement posted on his X account that the process lacked transparency and fairness.
“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,” he stated.
He further alleged that nearly 80 per cent of party members were prevented from voting.
“There’s no way about eighty per cent of members of the party were denied the opportunity to vote, and you expect me to accept such results,” Amaechi said.
He argued that the ADC could not condemn the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for electoral malpractice while engaging in similar conduct itself.
“party that criticises the ruling APC and INEC for vote buying, rigging, and result manipulation cannot turn around and engage in the same practices that disenfranchise its own members,” he added.
Hayatu-Deen also distanced himself from the process, announcing that he would boycott the official declaration of the results.
“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 personally observed, and I will be seeking advice on my next steps,” he said.
Responding to the allegations, ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi said the party had yet to establish evidence of any irregularities.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Abdullahi said, “We don’t have any evidence to either support or dismiss his claims because the results have not been fully collated.”
“We have not observed any clear pattern in the results, nor have we seen enough to draw any conclusions,” he added.
Meanwhile, the ADC confirmed that collation of results had commenced at the party’s national secretariat.
In a statement shared on its official handle, the party said the exercise demonstrated its commitment to transparency and internal democracy.
The controversy adds to the growing internal tensions within the opposition coalition built around the ADC ahead of the 2027 elections.
The coalition has attracted several prominent opposition figures, including former governors Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, who joined the platform as part of efforts to build a united front against President Bola Tinubu and the APC ahead of the next general election.
