A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Comrade Ibrahim Garba (IG) Wala, has backed former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi’s rejection of the party’s presidential primaries, while urging former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to dissociate himself from what he described as a flawed and compromised exercise.
The party chieftain, who monitored the presidential primary in Gombe State, condemned the process, insisting it fell far below democratic standards and amounted to what he called a “brazen, shameless auction.”
“What we witnessed during the primary elections was not a democratic primary; it was a brazen, shameless auction that betrayed every value the ADC promised to uphold.”
Wala said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that Amaechi had earlier raised concerns about the credibility of the exercise on his X account even before the official announcement of results, noting that the process failed to reflect transparency and fairness.
According to him, although the ADC has consistently criticised the ruling APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over allegations of vote-buying and manipulation, similar conduct allegedly played out within its own internal election.
Reacting further, he urged Atiku to distance himself from the outcome, describing it as tainted and unacceptable.
He said: “From my desk in Gombe, I submit to the public and party faithful the clear, undisputed evidence of irregularities and voter disenfranchisement that unfolded under my watch as follows:
“The Influx of Hungry Committee Members. The primary election committees deployed by the party leadership behaved less like custodians of a democratic process and more like an army of hungry political mercenaries. Their open, shameless displays of corrupt practices were an insult to the dignity of ordinary party members.
“The Hotel Situation Room. The brazenness was astonishing. I was personally approached by an agent offering to take me to the committee leadership’s hotel room to secure whatever I needed. This hotel room was treated exactly like a clandestine situation room where the state party leadership retired after their field day to finish their manipulative work behind closed doors.
“Weaponizing Religion and Region Against the Poor. In a state as beautifully diverse as Gombe, we watched a calculated political takeover that weaponized religious and regional sentiments to manipulate vulnerable electorates. In several mixed-faith wards and communities, the process was engineered so that only a homogeneous crowd of predominantly Muslim men and women were present, without a single Christian or representative of other native tribes in attendance. (This very reality confirms the widely circulated rumour which says that traditional leaders and religious groups were handsomely rewarded in achieving the desired outcome).
“The Provocative Regional Agenda. Top party officials openly dropped their cloaks of neutrality, brazenly taunting stakeholders with regional challenges. They mockingly questioned whether a candidate like Atiku Abubakar would ever be accorded a single vote in Amaechi’s home state or region, proving that national unity was discarded for parochial sentiments.
“Crude, Audacious Vote-buying. The monetary inducement on display was not hidden or subtle; it was crude, aggressive, and carried out with complete audacity.
“Victimization of New Aspirants. The greatest casualties of this daylight robbery were our young, fresh political aspirants. They came into this process believing in the alternative platform of the ADC, only to end up as the poor, bruised victims of old-school election rigging.
“Let us be completely clear about what is happening here: the primary beneficiary of these corrupt, engineered primaries is Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. This is by no means a coincidence. This systemic manipulation is part of the very reason why several prominent, principled politicians ran out of the party in the first place. It has become painfully clear that Atiku is desperate, and is willing to go to any length to secure his last chance at a just four-year tenure.”
Wala further urged Atiku to publicly distance himself from the exercise, warning that it risks undermining the credibility of the party’s internal democracy.
He added: “He must know, deep down, that the so-called result is a forbidden fruit, one that is highly poisonous to the very democracy the ADC preaches to every Nigerian.
“As a Muslim, especially on this sacred day of Eid, Atiku must remind himself of the ultimate truth, that in the moment of eternal accountability before the Almighty, no political supporter, rented crowd, or party friend can be called upon to save him from the weight of injustice.
“How can we claim to offer a rescue mission for Nigeria when we are practicing the same impunity that brought the nation to its knees? If we disenfranchise eighty percent of our own members to serve a desperate personal ambition, what makes us different from the status quo?
“On this sacred day of Eid, where we celebrate the triumph of faith and sincerity over greed, I join Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in saying NO to this charade. We will not accept results written in hotel rooms. We will not validate a process that silences the downtrodden.
“We remain committed to a fair, transparent, and just Nigeria, and the fight to rescue our democracy from the hands of political merchants has only just begun.”
