Crisis Erupts in ADC as Amaechi Rejects Atiku’s Landslide Primary Victory, Alleges Rigging

Former Rivers State Governor and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential aspirant, Rotimi Amaechi, has vehemently rejected the outcome of the party’s primary election, accusing the national leadership of concocting results in favour of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Amaechi, who contested the ADC ticket alongside Atiku and economist Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, announced his position in a statement on his verified X handle, @ChibuikeAmaechi, on Tuesday.

He alleged that the exercise, conducted across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory on Monday, was marred by widespread voter disenfranchisement.

“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 wrote.

He reminded the party of his earlier stance, stating, “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.

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?”

Amaechi warned that such practices undermine the party’s founding promise to offer Nigerians a credible political alternative, free from the impunity and mismanagement of the ruling party.

His rejection came just hours after fellow aspirant Hayatu-Deen announced a boycott of the final collation in Abuja, citing his own observations of “widespread vote rigging.”

Atiku coasts to commanding lead

Despite the protests, the party continued collation at the Transcorp Hilton Abuja, with officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) monitoring the process. Of the 24 states and the FCT results announced late Tuesday, Atiku won in 22 states and the FCT, while Amaechi managed victory in just two states (Akwa Ibom and Ebonyi).

Highlights of the results include:

· Ekiti: Atiku (18,395) vs. Amaechi (1,574) · Gombe: Atiku (136,933) vs. Amaechi (1,141) · Adamawa: Atiku (177,141) vs. Hayatu-Deen (18,949) vs. Amaechi (1,896) · Kano: Atiku (155,595) vs. Hayatu-Deen (15,914) vs. Amaechi (9,994)

The commanding victory has cast a shadow over the party’s credibility and risks triggering fresh internal tensions as the ADC positions itself for the 2027 general election.

Party urges aggrieved aspirants to use official channels

Responding to the crisis, the ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, urged Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen to channel their grievances through established party structures rather than making public allegations.

“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,” Abdullahi said on Channels Television.

He maintained that the party’s process is legitimate, noting that INEC officials have been present throughout all stages of the primaries and congresses.

“INEC has attended and monitored all our congresses and primary elections across the 36 states and the FCT. Every stage of the process has been fully documented by INEC officials,” he added.

As of press time, the ADC leadership had not officially responded to the allegations from Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen, while Atiku continues to maintain a strong lead in the yet-to-be-concluded collation.