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By Ayo Kehinde
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, on Thursday, moved to calm the growing crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC) following the party’s presidential primary elections, as he paid a visit to former Rivers State governor and former Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, at his residence in Abuja.
Atiku was accompanied on the visit by Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, who represents Sokoto South Senatorial District and is a key figure within the opposition coalition built around the ADC platform.
The meeting came against a backdrop of growing tension within the party after Amaechi openly rejected the outcome of the ADC presidential primary election won by Atiku, citing widespread irregularities, voter disenfranchisement and manipulation of results.
While details of the closed-door meeting were not officially disclosed at press time, the visit is widely believed to be part of urgent reconciliation efforts to prevent a major rift within the opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 general election.
The post-primary crisis intensified after Amaechi described the results announced by the party as “artificial” and inconsistent with democratic principles.
The former Rivers governor had accused the ADC leadership of denying a large percentage of party members the opportunity to participate in the exercise.
“I unequivocally reject the engineered results being announced,” Amaechi said in a strongly worded message posted on his X platform soon after the primary elections.
He further alleged that the party leadership engaged in the same practices it had repeatedly condemned during the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), including alleged vote-buying, manipulation and disenfranchisement of voters.
“It is not possible that around eighty percent of party members could not vote, and you expect me to accept such results,” Amaechi added.
Atiku emerged winner of the ADC presidential primary election after polling 1,846,370 votes to defeat Amaechi, who secured 504,117 votes, while economist Mohammed Hayatu-Deen garnered 177,120 votes.
The results were officially announced in Abuja by the party leader, Senator Tunde Ogbeha, following the conclusion of the nationwide consultation.
However, the exercise was overshadowed by controversy after both Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen rejected the holding of primaries and raised allegations of widespread electoral fraud and irregularities.
Hayatu-Deen had previously distanced himself from the final phase of the exercise, including the official declaration of results, due to concerns about the credibility of the process.
The businessman and former banker said reports from several states suggest widespread manipulation during primary elections.
Growing discontent among the defeated candidates has triggered fears of a possible implosion within the ADC at a critical period when opposition forces are attempting to consolidate ahead of the next presidential election.
Political observers say Thursday’s meeting between Atiku and Amaechi could be crucial to preserving unity within the opposition coalition and preventing the crisis from escalating into a full-blown factional conflict that could weaken the ADC’s political momentum.
Tambuwal’s presence at the meeting is also considered significant, given his strategic role in the ongoing coalition negotiations and reconciliation efforts between key opposition figures.
Sources within the party revealed that consultations were underway among senior ADC stakeholders to pacify the aggrieved aspirants and maintain cohesion within the coalition.
At the time of writing, neither Atiku nor Amaechi had made any official statements on the outcome of the meeting or whether an agreement had been reached to resolve the crisis.
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