Former Minister of Transportation and presidential aspirant, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has rejected the outcome of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primaries, alleging widespread irregularities and voter disenfranchisement during the exercise.
Amaechi, in a statement issued after the primaries, described the results announced by the party as “concocted” and insisted that the process failed to meet the standards of fairness, transparency and credibility promised by the party.
The former Rivers State governor said he had earlier made it clear that he would only accept the outcome of the election if the process was free, fair and transparent.
According to him, the primaries did not reflect the democratic values the ADC claimed to represent in its mission to offer Nigerians an alternative platform capable of rescuing the country from what he described as impunity and poor governance.
Amaechi alleged that a large percentage of party members across the country were prevented from participating in the exercise, questioning the credibility of the outcome announced by the party leadership.
“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,” he stated.
He further criticised the alleged conduct of the primaries, accusing the party of engaging in the same practices it had previously condemned in other political parties and electoral processes.
According to him, a party that openly criticises the ruling APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over allegations of vote buying, result manipulation and electoral malpractice should not be linked to similar accusations.
Amaechi maintained that the ADC was created to provide Nigerians, especially ordinary citizens, with a credible platform that promotes inclusiveness, fairness and equal participation irrespective of religion, ethnicity or social status.
He insisted that the alleged irregularities witnessed during the primaries were unacceptable and contrary to the expectations of party members and Nigerians seeking genuine political change.