Former Rivers State Governor and presidential aspirant, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has rejected the outcome of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primaries, alleging widespread irregularities, voter disenfranchisement and manipulation of the electoral process.
Amaechi, in a statement posted on his official X handle on Tuesday, described the results of the primaries as “concocted” and insisted that the process failed to meet the standards of credibility, fairness and transparency expected of the party.
The former Minister of Transportation said he had earlier made it clear that he would only accept the outcome of the primaries if the exercise was conducted in a free and transparent manner.
According to him, the process fell short of the democratic ideals the ADC claimed to represent.
“I unequivocally reject the concocted results being announced,” Amaechi stated.
He alleged that a significant number of party members across the country 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,” he said.
Amaechi argued that the ADC was created to provide Nigerians with an alternative political platform capable of restoring credibility, inclusiveness and accountability in governance.
He said the party was expected to amplify the voices of ordinary Nigerians and offer a credible alternative to what he described as the failures of the ruling party.
The former Rivers governor further accused the party leadership of engaging in the same electoral malpractices the opposition had consistently criticised in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to him, allegations of vote buying, result manipulation and voter suppression during the ADC primaries undermine the moral authority of the party to demand electoral reforms in the country.
“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,” Amaechi said.
He maintained that such practices were unacceptable and contrary to the democratic values the ADC promised Nigerians.
