ADC PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES: Amaechi, Hayatu-Deen Reject Results As Atiku Leads

By Jonathan Nda-Isaiah, Ademu Idakwo, Henry Tyohemba, Moses Orjime, NICHOLAS DEKERA, JIBRIL MOHAMMED NABIL, Green Mbah, OKECHUKWU OBETA, Alo Abiola

The presidential primaries of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ran into a hitch as two aspirants, former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and renowned economist, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, rejected the outcome of the exercise.

While Amaechi described the results from the exercise as concocted, Hayatu-Deen said it was marred by rigging.

Their objections came as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar maintained an unssailable lead  as the results of the primaries conducted in over 8,000 wards across the country, were being collated yesterday.

Amaechi, Hayatu-Deen Protest

Amaechi rejected the outcome of the party’s presidential primaries, describing the results as “concocted”. He also alleged widespread disenfranchisement of party members during the exercise.

Amaechi, in a statement issued on Tuesday, said he would not accept the outcome of a process that failed to meet the standards of fairness, transparency and credibility promised by the party.

He stated that he had earlier made it clear that he would only accept the results of the primaries if the process was free, fair and transparent.

“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,” Amaechi said.

“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.”

The former Rivers State governor alleged that a large percentage of party members were denied the opportunity to participate in the exercise.

“There’s no way that about 80 per cent of members of the party were not allowed to vote, and you expect me to accept such results,” he stated.

Amaechi said the ADC was formed to provide Nigerians with an alternative political platform capable of addressing the challenges facing the country.

According to him, the party was expected to stand against impunity and electoral malpractice, not replicate the same practices it had accused others of perpetrating.

“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 background, ethnicity or religion,” he said.

He further accused the party of engaging in practices such as vote-buying, manipulation of results and other irregularities.

“A party that criticises the ruling APC and INEC for vote-buying, rigging and writing results cannot engage in vote-buying, writing results and other electoral malpractices that lead to the disenfranchisement of voters who are party members. This is not acceptable!” he added.

Earlier, Hayatu-Deen declared that he would not attend the official declaration of results from the party’s presidential primaries, citing concerns over alleged irregularities in the voting process.

Hayatu-Deen said reports of widespread vote rigging had emerged from different parts of the country, adding that he personally witnessed some of the alleged infractions during the exercise.

“I will not be attending the announcement of the ADC presidential election results today,” he said.

“I am concerned by reports from across the country of widespread vote rigging, some of which I myself observed, and will therefore be taking advice on my next steps.”

Hayatu-Deen had, on Monday, after participating in the primaries in his home state of Borno, raised concerns over alleged malpractices in the process, describing them as disturbing.

However, early reports showed that Atiku was winning the exercise in most states.

Atiku clinched 68,823 votes to emerge as the ADC presidential candidate in Sokoto State, securing the highest number of votes across the state’s 23 local government areas.

Prof. Aminu Abubakar, the Chief Returning Officer for the ADC presidential primary election in Sokoto State, announced the result on Monday.

He disclosed that Rotimi Amaechi received 292 votes, while Alhaji Mohammed Hayatu-Deen secured 319 votes.

Atiku also won in Yobe State with 44,841 votes. The primary election returning officer, Ms Kyari, announced this at the Yobe State party secretariat in Damaturu.

According to the returning officer, the other candidates, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, scored 300 votes, while Mohammed Hayatu-Deen polled 365 votes.

She said the election was conducted peacefully and in line with the party’s guidelines.

In his remarks, the Yobe State ADC governorship candidate, Barr. Kassim Gana Geidam, applauded party officials, security agencies and members across the state for the peaceful conduct of the primary and the strong support shown by party members.

However, Amaechi won in 105 wards across the eight local government areas of Bayelsa State. The results were announced at the ADC Collation Centre in Yenagoa by the chairman of the ADC Presidential Primaries Committee in Bayelsa State and Returning Officer, Commodore Promise Dappa (retd.).

According to the results declared, Amaechi polled 44,404 votes to defeat Atiku, who scored 6,570 votes, while Hayatu-Deen garnered 939 votes.

Commodore Dappa said a total of 56,356 party members were registered for the exercise, out of which 53,298 were accredited to vote.

He added that 51,913 votes were validly cast, while 1,785 votes were rejected during the exercise.

However, Atiku won in Ekiti State. According to the ADC presidential primary statement of results signed by the chairman of the Presidential Primary Election Committee in Ekiti State, Hon. (Barr.) Afolabi Akinsiku, the shadow election was held across the 16 local government areas of the state.

The statement said Atiku polled a total of 18,395 votes to defeat Amaechi, who scored 1,574 votes, while Mohammed Hayatu-Deen garnered 149 votes.

The breakdown of the election results across the councils showed that, in Ado LGA, Atiku scored 648 votes, Amaechi 58, and Hayatu-Deen 27. In Ijero LGA, Atiku scored 1,118 votes, Amaechi 4, and Hayatu-Deen 0. In Ekiti West, Atiku scored 857 votes, Amaechi 61, and Hayatu-Deen 37. In Irepodun/Ifelodun, Atiku scored 797 votes, Amaechi 41, and Hayatu-Deen 10.

In Efon LGA, Atiku scored 365 votes, Amaechi 26, and Hayatu-Deen 0, while in Ikere LGA, Atiku scored 1,821 votes, Amaechi 406, and Hayatu-Deen 11. In Ekiti South-West, Atiku scored 1,699 votes, Amaechi 311, and Hayatu-Deen 15. In Ise/Orun LGA, Atiku scored 2,800 votes, while Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen recorded no votes.

In Emure LGA, Atiku scored 826 votes, Amaechi 238, and Hayatu-Deen 0, while in Oye LGA, Atiku scored 1,340 votes, Amaechi 55, and Hayatu-Deen 22.

Other LGA results are as follows: Ekiti East — Atiku 967, Amaechi 45, Hayatu-Deen 14; Gbonyin — Atiku 1,580, Amaechi 134, Hayatu-Deen 0; Ikole — Atiku 2,191, Amaechi 38, Hayatu-Deen 13; Ido/Osi — Atiku 158, Amaechi 16, Hayatu-Deen 0; Ilejemeje — Atiku 409, Amaechi 67, Hayatu-Deen 0; and Moba LGA — Atiku 783, Amaechi 74, Hayatu-Deen 0.

The total number of registered member-voters was 20,958, while the total number of accredited voters stood at 20,115. The total valid votes cast for all aspirants was also 20,115.

Atiku also won in Anambra State with a total of 58,566 votes. Chairman of the 11-member ADC committee, Hon. Nduaka Nworisara, who declared the results in Awka, the state capital, said Amaechi came second with 17,085 votes, while Hayatu-Deen scored 7,861 votes.

He stated that a total of 83,512 party members across the 326 wards in the state cast votes during the presidential primary election.

Nworisara also stated that the party’s membership, as contained in the party register, stood at 99,349. He described the election as peaceful.

In Gombe State, results announced by the Returning Officer, Prof. David Agbu, showed that Atiku polled 139,334 votes. Amaechi came a distant second with 1,150 votes, while Hayatu-Deen secured 464 votes.

Atiku also topped the poll in Abia State, garnering 25,153 votes ahead of Amaechi, who scored 18,339 votes. Hayatu-Deen received 3,264 votes.

In Ebonyi State, the former vice president also won. Results announced by the ADC National Vice Chairman (Diaspora), Fred Onwe, indicated that Atiku secured 15,300 votes, while Amaechi polled 2,200 votes and Hayatu-Deen managed 200 votes.

Wike-Backed PDP Declares Sandy Onor Presidential Candidate

Meanwhile, the PDP faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, declared Senator Sandy Onor as its consensus presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.

Speaking after his emergence at the party’s convention, Onor pledged to run an issue-based and pan-Nigerian campaign focused on tackling rural poverty, unemployment and insecurity.

“Today, we have reclaimed our party, the legacy party, the Peoples Democratic Party,” he declared in his acceptance speech.

The PDP candidate said the party had moved beyond its internal divisions and was now united under purposeful and visionary leadership.

Onor also dismissed the opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), describing it as an alliance of conflicting interests that had already collapsed.

“A couple of months ago, some people in the opposition gathered under the banner of the ADC. Many Nigerians started getting the impression that this variety of opposition forces was beginning to coalesce into something formidable.

“But the drama happened even sooner than we anticipated. Before we knew it, people began migrating out of the coalition. If you observed carefully, there was what I call the ‘Andrews Liver Salt Effect’ — like a bubble that rises suddenly and disappears within days,” he said.

According to him, the ADC had become a small regional party and could no longer pose a serious national threat.

“The point I am making is that if you are looking for any party with the capacity to contend with the ruling APC, that party is the PDP,” he added.

Onor further dismissed claims of factionalisation within the PDP, insisting that there was only one recognised party structure operating within the law.

“For some time now, the erroneous impression has been created that there are two PDPs. Nothing could be further from the truth,” he stated.

Speaking with journalists shortly after his emergence, the PDP flag bearer said his administration would prioritise rural development and economic empowerment as part of efforts to address insecurity.

“Insecurity is fundamentally a function of rural poverty,” he said, adding that unemployment and lack of opportunities had made many youths vulnerable to banditry and terrorism.

He also backed full local government autonomy, saying councils must receive their allocations directly to enable them engage youths, support vigilante groups and strengthen traditional institutions.

Earlier, chairman of the coalition committee, Samuel Ortom, said the party worked extensively across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to arrive at a consensus candidate.

“We have worked day and night with the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to ensure that we arrive at a consensus,” Ortom said.

Also speaking, PDP chairman Mohammed Abdulrahman commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for monitoring the party’s activities and primary elections across the country.

He said the convention was convened mainly for endorsement because “we have only one person aspiring for the office of President in 2027.”

Sowore Emerges AAC Presidential Candidate

Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore also secured the presidential ticket of the African Action Congress for the 2027 election after emerging unopposed at the party’s primary held on Tuesday in Abuja.

Sowore received unanimous backing from delegates and party leaders at the exercise, reinforcing his dominance within the party as it prepares for the next electoral cycle.

He subsequently stepped down as the party’s national chairman after emerging as its consensus presidential candidate. He is also the founder of the party, established in 2018.

ADC Defends Primary Process Amid Rigging Allegations

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has defended the credibility of its presidential primary process amid allegations of irregularities and rigging raised by presidential aspirant Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.

ADC spokesperson Bolaji Abdullahi, who spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday night, said the party had not seen any evidence either to validate or dismiss the claims.

He stressed that the collation process was still ongoing.

“We don’t have any evidence to be able to support his position or to deny his position because we’ve not collated the results,” Abdullahi stated.

He added that the party had not observed any trend that could suggest manipulation of the process.

“We have not noticed any pattern in the results, and we’ve not seen enough to be able to establish a pattern,” he said.

Addressing concerns over the presence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the result collation centre, Abdullahi said the electoral body was expected to join the process later in the evening.

“We are waiting for them (INEC). They will be here tonight,” he said.

According to him, INEC officials had monitored all stages of the party’s activities leading up to the primary election.

He added: “They have attended all our congresses and all the processes across the country in all the 36 states and the FCT.”

In his acceptance speech, he pledged to champion a “revolutionary change” that would transform Nigeria’s political and economic landscape.

He said the country must decisively confront corruption, unemployment, insecurity and poor governance, which he argued have continued to deepen hardship for millions of Nigerians, particularly young people.

According to him, the AAC was established to pursue the vision of a “new Nigeria” anchored on accountability, justice and people-centred governance.

This will be the third consecutive time Sowore will contest the presidential election unchallenged on the platform of the AAC, the party he founded.

Earlier, Adewale Adebayo and Donald Duke emerged as the presidential candidates of the Social Democratic Party and the Peoples Redemption Party respectively. Both had previously contested the presidency.