Rotimi Amaechi, a former minister of transportation, has rejected the outcome of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primaries, alleging widespread voter disenfranchisement and electoral malpractice during the exercise.
Amaechi, in a statement shared on his X handle on Tuesday, described the results announced by the party as “concocted” and insisted he would not accept an outcome that lacked fairness and transparency.
“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.
The former Rivers governor said he had earlier made it clear that he would only accept the outcome of the primary if the process was free, fair, and transparent.
“I had initially stated that I would only accept the outcome of the primaries if the process was free, fair, and transparent, and I stand by my word,” he said.
Amaechi accused the party leadership of abandoning the values the ADC claimed to represent as an alternative political platform for Nigerians.
“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 added.
According to him, a large number of party members were denied the opportunity to participate in the voting process.
“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?” he queried.
Amaechi said the ADC was established to provide ordinary Nigerians with a credible political platform rooted in fairness, inclusion, and accountability.
“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 said.
The former minister also accused the party of engaging in the same practices it had previously criticised in the ruling All Progressives Congress and the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“A party that criticises 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 stated.
Although the ADC leadership has yet to officially announce the final collated results from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, early figures from several states reportedly showed former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar maintaining a strong lead, with Amaechi trailing behind while economist Mohammed Hayatu-Deen occupied third position.
