The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary election has kicked off with intense momentum, plunging the opposition’s newly fortified political vehicle into immediate controversy. Early decentralized voting tallies trickling into the national collation center show former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, commanding an early lead after securing decisive victories across five states, including major wins in Zamfara and Yobe.
However, the celebratory mood within the Atiku camp was swiftly cut short on Tuesday morning. His closest rival and former Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, issued a blistering public statement completely rejecting the ongoing collation process, citing systematic irregularities and the widespread disenfranchisement of registered party members.
The Northern Sweep: Inside the Figures
In Zamfara State, the exercise—conducted via a decentralized option-A4 direct primary model across all 147 wards in the 14 Local Government Areas—turned into a landslide victory for the Waziri Adamawa.
Announcing the results in Gusau, the Chairman of the ADC Presidential Primary Election Committee and Returning Officer, Alhaji Namadi Musa, declared that Atiku Abubakar polled an overwhelming 60,500 votes. His closest competitors, corporate titan Mohammed Hayatu-Deen and Rotimi Amaechi, managed minor tallies of 446 and 191 votes, respectively.
“Having fulfilled the strict guidelines of the African Democratic Congress and the statutory provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026, and having scored the highest number of valid votes cast, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is hereby returned as the party’s choice in Zamfara State,” Musa declared, confirming that officials from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) actively monitored the exercise.
A similar pattern emerged in Yobe State, where the returning officer, Ma’am Kyari, certified that Atiku secured 44,841 votes to clear the state’s delegate slots. Collation officers from three other unannounced states have reportedly submitted identical majorities to the national secretariat, solidifying Atiku’s frontrunner status.
The Amaechi Rebellion
The smooth narrative of an Atiku coronation was shattered when Rotimi Amaechi took to his official social media channels ahead of the final national declaration in Abuja. Amaechi, who participated in the direct primary at his local ward in Rivers State on Monday, accused certain elements within the party hierarchy of manipulating the decentralized voter register to favor a specific outcome.
“Following reports of widespread voter disenfranchisement in most parts of the country during the African Democratic Congress Presidential Primaries yesterday, I unequivocally reject the concocted results being announced,” Amaechi stated firmly.
The former Rivers State Governor reminded party leaders of an earlier gentleman’s agreement regarding absolute transparency. “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 impunity.”
System Under Pressure
The escalating friction comes at a delicate time for both the ADC and INEC. The primary was held under the shadow of intense legal battles in Abuja, where political groups are currently contesting revised timeline guidelines regarding party membership databases.
The head of the INEC monitoring team in Zamfara, Lawal Aliyu, avoided commenting directly on the internal party disputes but urged all emerging political platforms to maintain strict internal democracy. For the ADC, which has spent the last year positioning itself as the primary alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the explosive fallout between its two biggest stars poses an existential threat to its 2027 coalition strategy.
