The ADC moved to ease the tension as Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen challenged the main proceedings

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has asked aggrieved presidential candidates, Rotimi Amaechi and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, to air their grievances through the party’s internal dispute resolution channels rather than making public allegations regarding the presidential primaries.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, made the appeal on Tuesday while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, amidst growing controversy surrounding the primaries being conducted across the country.

The ADC held live national primaries on Monday to select its presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 general election.

Although the party had not officially announced final results from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory at the time of filing this report, preliminary figures from several states showed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar leading the vote share, with former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi close behind, while economist Mohammed Hayatu-Deen finished third.

Responding to allegations of irregularities and vote manipulation raised by Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen, Abdullahi said there was currently no concrete evidence to prove that the process was rigged in favor of any candidate.

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“At this time we do not have enough evidence to support or refute these claims. Because the results are still being collected, we have not seen any clear patterns that could support these allegations,” he said.

The ADC spokesperson explained that the party has established constitutional and statutory procedures to handle election disputes and urged disgruntled contestants to utilize the mechanisms.

“At this stage, we do not have enough information to conclude whether the allegations are true or false. We hope to get a clearer picture eventually,” he added.

Abdullahi also dismissed concerns over reports of parallel factions within the party, and insisted that the ADC leadership remains recognized by the Independent National Electoral Commission and is fully responsible for the ongoing congress and primaries.

“The party leadership is not disturbed by these claims. INEC is fully aware of who is organizing the legitimate convention of the African Democratic Congress, and under the law, the actual organizers are clearly recognized,” he said.

He further revealed that KPU officials were actively monitoring every stage of the national party congress and primary elections.

“INEC has attended and monitored all our congresses and primaries in 36 states and the FCT. Every stage of the process has been fully documented by INEC officials,” he said.

Abdullahi also expressed confidence in the transparency and legitimacy of the exercise, and stressed that the continued presence of INEC officials at the examination center strengthens the credibility of the process.

The intervention by the party leadership came after Amaechi publicly rejected the results of the primary elections, alleging widespread disenfranchisement and irregularities, while Hayatu-Deen boycotted the final vetting ceremony over allegations of voting fraud.