Former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has rejected the outcome of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primaries, describing the exercise as compromised and lacking credibility.
Amaechi, in a statement posted on his X account on Wednesday, alleged that a large number of party members across the country were denied the opportunity to vote during the primaries.
According to him, the process fell short of the standards of fairness, transparency, and credibility expected from a party seeking to offer Nigerians an alternative platform ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“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 stated.
The former minister said he had made it clear before the exercise that he would only accept the outcome if the process was conducted in a free 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. 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 said.
Amaechi further alleged that nearly 80 percent of party members were prevented from participating in the voting process, insisting that such an exercise could not produce a legitimate outcome.
“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.
He added that the vision behind the ADC was to provide ordinary Nigerians with a credible political platform capable of addressing issues of inequality and bad governance.
“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,” Amaechi stated.
The former governor also accused the party leadership of engaging in the same electoral practices it had previously condemned in other political parties and electoral processes.
“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 leads to the disenfranchisement of voters who are party members. This is not acceptable!” he added.
The African Democratic Congress is yet to officially respond to Amaechi’s allegations as of the time of filing this report.