Amaechi Rejects ADC Presidential Primary Results, Alleges Widespread Irregularities

Former Minister of Transportation and ex-Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has rejected the outcome of the presidential primary election conducted by the African Democratic Congress, citing alleged widespread irregularities and voter disenfranchisement.

In a statement personally signed and released on Tuesday, Amaechi questioned the credibility of the exercise, insisting that the process failed to meet the standards of fairness, transparency, and integrity expected of the party.

According to him, he had earlier made it clear that he would only accept the outcome of the primary if it was conducted in a free, fair, and transparent manner.

“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,” Amaechi stated.

He alleged that a large percentage of party members across the country were denied the opportunity to vote, describing the announced results as “concocted.”

“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?” he queried.

Amaechi further accused the party leadership of engaging in the same electoral malpractices it had consistently condemned in the ruling All Progressives Congress and the Independent National Electoral Commission.

“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 added.

Amaechi also maintained that the ADC was created to provide Nigerians with a credible alternative platform capable of addressing the nation’s governance challenges and restoring public confidence in democratic institutions.

Another presidential aspirant, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, had earlier rejected the outcome of the exercise, alleging that he witnessed vote buying and other irregularities during the primary election.

The development has sparked fresh concerns over the credibility of internal party democracy within the ADC ahead of the 2027 general elections.