Politics

ADC primary in turmoil as Amaechi rejects Atiku win

Published

2 weeks ago

May 27, 2026

Former Rivers State Governor and presidential aspirant of the African Democratic Congress, Rotimi Amaechi, on Tuesday rejected the outcome of the party’s presidential primary election, describing the results collated from across the country as “concocted.”

Amaechi, one of the three contenders for the ADC presidential ticket alongside former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and economist Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, announced his position in a statement posted on his verified X handle, @ChibuikeAmaechi.

The former Minister of Transportation alleged that widespread voter disenfranchisement marred the exercise conducted across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory on Monday.

“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.

“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 the impunity and gross mismanagement that our country is currently facing in the hands of the ruling party,” he wrote.

Amaechi further claimed that a significant number of party members were denied the opportunity to participate in the exercise.

“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. Then what makes us different from the others?” he asked.

The former governor said the ADC was founded on the premise of offering Nigerians a credible political alternative and warned against practices capable of undermining the party’s integrity.

“The whole idea of the ADC was to give the Nigerian people a platform, to amplify the voices of the downtrodden, and make Nigeria a better place for everyone irrespective of backgrounds, ethnicity, or religion.

“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 that leads to the disenfranchisement of voters who are party members. This is not acceptable,” he stated.

Amaechi’s rejection of the exercise came barely four hours after fellow aspirant Hayatu-Deen announced his decision to boycott the final collation and declaration ceremony in Abuja over alleged widespread irregularities.

On his part, Hayatu-Deen boycotted the collation and declaration ceremony citing alleged vote rigging.

Taking to his verified X handle, @Mohayatudeen, the economist-turned-politician said, “I will not be attending the announcement of the ADC Presidential Election Results today. I am concerned by reports from across the country of widespread vote rigging, some of which I myself (sic) observed, and will therefore be taking advice on my next steps.”

However, Hayatu-Deen did not pointedly name those behind the rigging.

Atiku coasts home

As of the time of filing this report, Atiku was clearly ahead of the two other contestants going by the results collated from some states of the federation.

Of the 24 states and FCT results announced late Tuesday night, before the party officials went on break, Atiku won in 22 states and the FCT while Amaechi managed victory in two states.

The development has cast a shadow over the credibility of the exercise and may trigger fresh tensions within the opposition party at a time it is seeking to position itself as a major force ahead of the 2027 general election.

Despite the protests by two of the contestants, collation of results continued on Tuesday at the Transcorp Hilton Abuja, where Returning Officers from across the country arrived to submit figures from the state primaries.

As of the time of filing this report, Atiku was maintaining a strong lead after reportedly winning in more than eleven states, including Sokoto, Zamfara, Gombe, Yobe and Abia.

Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission were also present at the venue to monitor the exercise.

The ADC leadership had yet to officially respond to the allegations raised by Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen as of press time.

Former Vice President Atiku won overwhelmingly in many states, including Ekiti, where he polled 18,395 votes to beat Amaechi who polled 1,574 and Hayatu-Deen who garnered 149 votes.

In the FCT, Atiku polled 18,704 votes, Amaechi 14,721 while Hayatu-Deen garnered 5,575.

In Gombe State, the results were announced by the Returning Officer, Mr David Aku. According to him, Atiku secured 136,933 votes, Amaechi 1,141 votes while Hayatu-Deen polled 455 votes.

Atiku also recorded a great showing in Enugu where he got 33,879 votes, leaving Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen in second and third places with 15,127 and 669 votes respectively.

Others include Benue where Atiku polled 55,177, Amaechi 30,881 and Hayatu-Deen 22,141 votes.

Also in Abia, Atiku got got 25,153 votes, Amaechi 18,339 and Hayatu-Deen 2,264.

In Yobe, Atiku garnered 44,841 votes, Amaechi 300 and Hayatu-Deen 365 votes.

Atiku polled 18,287 votes in Ondo while Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen secured 6,031 and 875 votes respectively

Atiku also won the presidential primary in Edo State, defeating Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen. According to the returning officer, Atiku secured 17,729 votes, while Amaechi polled 10,116 votes and Hayatu-Deen got 1,906 votes. The party described the exercise as peaceful, free, and credible, with officials praising its transparency and orderly conduct.

Other results announced showed that the ex-VP won in his home state Adamawa with 177,141votes with Hayatu-Deen (18,949 votes) and Amaechi (1,896) in distant second and third positions respectively.

In Zamfara, Atiku-60, 500 also emerged victorious with 60,500 votes while Hayatu-Deen-and Amaechi polled 446 and 191 respectively.

It was same story in Borno as Atiku polled 86,084 to triumph while Hayatu-Deen came second with 3,011 votes. Amaechi managed 2,493 votes.

In Osun, Atiku led with 12, 321votes, Hayatu-Deen had 4,558 and Amaechi ended in third place with 72 votes.

Atiku then had an unassailable lead in Kano, polling 155,595 with Hayatu-Deen trailing in distant second with 15,914 votes while Amaechi had 9,994.

However, Amaechi won in Akwa Ibom State with 20,343 with Atiku claiming 17,623 votes and Hayatu-Deen 2,054 votes.

Amaechi also won in Ebonyi with 6,400 votes, Hayatu-Deen emerged second with 4,840 votes while Atiku was third with 1,210 votes.

In Taraba Atiku claimed 48,351votes, Amaechi 25,150 votes and Hayatu-Deen 8,369 votes while in Nasarawa the former VP also led with 41, 649 votes, Amaechi polled 13,656 and Hayatu-Deen had 6,774 votes.

In Imo, Atiku had 52,222 votes, Amaechi 7,659 votes and Hayatu-Deen 1,121 votes.

Atiku also emerged victorious in Oyo with 23,011, Amaechi had 1,553 votes and Hayatu-Deen polled 568 votes.

In Anambra, Atiku led with 58,566 votes, Amaechi had 17,085 votes and Hayatu-Deen 7,861 votes.

Again, it was Atiku, with 65,523 votes, the winner in Kebbi while Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen polled 5,931 and 454 votes respectively.

In Sokoto, Atiku claimed victory with 63,823 votes, Hayatu-Deen had 319 and Amaechi 292.

Atiku claimed victory in Niger with 79,206 votes, Hayatu-Deen second with 15,840 votes and Amaechi polled 10,560 while in Plateau, the ex-VP also emerged winner with 47,558 votes. Amaechi was second with 13,494 votes and Hayatu-Deen secured 3,330 votes.

The ceremony was attended by the ADC National Chairman Sen David Mark, party leaders including Sen Tunde Ogbeha, and former Sports Minister Solomon Dalung, among others.

Party intervenes

Meanwhile, the ADC urged Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen to channel their grievances through established party structures and statutory electoral processes rather than making public allegations.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said there was no evidence at present to support claims that the ongoing presidential primary was rigged in favour of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, Abdullahi said the collation of results was still ongoing, making it impossible to confirm or dismiss allegations raised by some aspirants.

The ADC conducted a nationwide direct primary on Monday to select its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.

Although the party was yet to officially announce final results as at the time of filing this report, from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, early figures indicate Atiku was leading, followed by Amaechi, while Mohammed Hayatu-Deen is in third position.

However, Abdullahi maintained that no conclusive evidence had emerged to substantiate the claims, noting that collation was still in progress.

“We currently do not have sufficient evidence to either support or dismiss those claims. Since the results are still being collated, we have not observed any clear pattern that would substantiate such allegations,” he said.

He explained that the party has established internal and statutory mechanisms for addressing complaints and urged aggrieved aspirants to make use of them.

“At this stage, we do not have enough information to conclusively say whether the allegations are true or false. We expect to have a clearer picture by the end of the day,” he added.

He also addressed reports of a parallel faction within the party, stating that the ADC leadership remains unperturbed by such developments.

According to him, the Independent National Electoral Commission recognises the current National Working Committee, which he said remains responsible for the ongoing congresses and primaries.

“The party leadership is not disturbed by the claims. INEC is fully aware of who is conducting the legitimate convention of the African Democratic Congress, and under the law, the genuine organisers are clearly recognised,” he said.

He added that INEC officials have been present throughout the party’s electoral processes, from House of Assembly primaries to governorship, National Assembly, and presidential primaries.

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

Abdullahi further expressed confidence that the presence of electoral officials at the collation centre would continue, noting that the party had no concerns about oversight or legitimacy.

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Politics

I am open to reconciling with Kano gov – Kwankwaso

Published

6 hours ago

June 9, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

Former Kano State Governor and national leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, says he remains willing to forgive Governor Abba Yusuf and reconcile with him despite their political differences, insisting that his affection for his former protégé has not diminished.

Relationship between the two politicians soured after Yusuf defected from the New Nigeria People’s Party, under which he won the 2023 governorship election, to the ruling All Progressives Congress, a move that drew sharp criticism from members of the Kwankwasiyya movement.

Speaking in an interview in a video posted by BBC Hausa on Monday, Kwankwaso, who has also defected from NNPP to the Nigeria Democratic Congress, said the door to reconciliation remains open.

He stressed that Yusuf was the one who chose to leave their political fold and that he would not turn him away if he decided to return.

“I still love Abba and I didn’t reject him, he is the one that left. So not just Abba, if anyone who left comes back, I won’t be unforgiving. Look at Ganduje, in the many years we worked together, we fell out several times and got back together. That is how politics works,” he said.

Kwankwaso argued that Yusuf’s electoral victory was made possible by the strength of the movement.

“We picked Abba to contest under the NNPP and we won, but he left to join the people we defeated. Some say he did so because he feared losing his position, but he knows there was no way we would have been defeated in Kano. If that were the case, we would have lost when he contested under our party,” he stated.

The former governor further explained that the movement intentionally fielded Yusuf in 2023 to demonstrate its political influence.

“We did not choose him because he was the most senior or the most educated. We chose him because we wanted to test the strength and calibre of the Kwankwasiyya movement at that time,” he said.

Emphasising the importance of tolerance in leadership, Kwankwaso said leaders must accept differing opinions and embrace forgiveness.

“As a leader, you need to have an open heart. You cannot force people to think the way you do because we all come from different backgrounds and have different perspectives. Without forgiveness, we would not have come this far,” he added.

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Politics

Peter Obi slams Tinubu over rising debt, says N200tn borrowed without accountability

Published

6 hours ago

June 9, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

The 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration over what he described as excessive borrowing and poor fiscal accountability.

Obi said Nigeria’s total public debt has risen to about N200 trillion, which he attributed to what he called “imprudent governance” under the current administration.

He said the debt level represents an increase of over N100 trillion in three years, contrasting it with the approximately N49 trillion accumulated during the eight-year administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The former Labour Party presidential flagbearer in the 2023 election stated this in a statement posted on his X handle on Tuesday, saying the situation reflected a lack of accountability and transparency in the management of borrowed funds.

“President Bola Tinubu’s administration has engaged in remarkably imprudent borrowing, escalating Nigeria’s total debt to approximately N200 trillion. This represents an increase of over N100 trillion within a mere three years, a stark contrast to the roughly N49 trillion accumulated during President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight-year tenure, which would have projected to around N80 trillion.

“As millions of Nigerians grapple with the shock of this unsustainable debt accumulation, the situation is exacerbated by the government’s reckless approach to borrowing and a profound absence of accountability and transparency in the utilisation of these funds,” he said.

Citing figures from the Budget Office, Obi said the government borrowed N11.89 trillion in the first three quarters of 2025 (January to September), exceeding its planned borrowing target of N10.34 trillion by about N1.54 trillion.

He said such an overrun should ordinarily attract scrutiny and explanation from relevant authorities.

“Under a responsible and accountable government, such an overshoot would necessitate rigorous scrutiny and explanation from relevant governmental bodies. Regrettably, this is not the reality under the current administration,” he said.

Obi further claimed that only N3.10 trillion of the borrowed funds was allocated to capital expenditure during the January–September 2025 period, representing 17.66 per cent of the N17.58 trillion earmarked for capital projects, leaving a funding gap of about N14.48 trillion.

He questioned how the remaining funds were utilised.

“The most disturbing aspect of the financial management fiasco under Bola Tinubu is that there is no explanation or information regarding how the balance was utilised or deployed.

“The question that Nigerians are rightly asking and deserve an answer to is what happened to the balance? Was it deployed for recurrent expenditure/consumption, for the entertainment of guests to Aso Rock or transferred to the Renewed Hope Agenda 2027 Election Campaign Fund?

“Nigerians deserve an answer on how our economy and resources are most unpatriotically managed,” he said.

Nigeria has faced mounting debt pressures since the Tinubu administration’s major reforms began in mid-2023, including the removal of long-standing fuel subsidies and unification of the foreign exchange market.

These moves aimed to correct fiscal distortions but triggered immediate inflation spikes, naira volatility, and higher living costs, while increasing the local-currency burden of debt servicing.

Tinubu had disclosed in May 2026 that Nigeria plans to spend about $11.6 billion on debt servicing in 2026.

While supporters of the government argue that borrowings support critical infrastructure, critics warn of a debt without growth trap.

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Politics

ADC alleges PVC mop-up, fake Amotekun plot

Published

16 hours ago

June 9, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in Ekiti State, Dare Bejide, on Monday, alleged mop-up of Permanent Voter Cards in parts of the state by some agents who he said were illegally collecting the document.

The Director, Communications, Media and Publicity, Amb Dare Bejide Campaign Organisation, Chief Gboyega Aribisogan, said the perpetrators, who he identified as All Progressives Congress agents, wanted to use the cards for sinister purposes, as he appealed to residents not to succumb to such.

Aribisogan also alleged at a press briefing in Ado Ekiti that some political thugs were being kitted in fake Amotekun Security Network uniforms, adding that “the individuals are being trained and mobilised to intimidate voters, snatch ballot boxes and attack polling agents on election day.”

The ADC campaign spokesperson, who said the impersonation of Amotekun operatives was a deliberate plot to confuse voters and discredit a regional security outfit that Ekiti people trusted.

He called on the Ekiti Amotekun Corps Commander, Brig Gen Olu Adewa (retd) and the police “to immediately identify and arrest anyone found wearing an Amotekun uniform without authorisation.”

Aribisogan said, “Across several local government areas in Ekiti, our party has documented a pattern where agents and foot soldiers of the APC are moving from house to house and polling units demanding the collection of PVCs and National Identification Numbers from voters.

“They promised cash, food items, or welfare support in exchange. This is a direct violation of Section 121 of the Electoral Act 2022, which prohibits voter inducement and the seizure of voter cards.

“The aim is clear – disenfranchise citizens, harvest PVCs, and use them for thumb-printing and multiple voting on election day. No citizen should surrender their PVC or NIN to any political party agent. Your PVC is your power. Once you give it up, you give up your voice.”

He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to issue a public warning against PVC and NIN harvesting and to deploy its monitoring teams to flashpoints immediately.

“We use this medium to tell Ekiti people not to be intimidated. Do not surrender your PVC or NIN. Do not be cowed by thugs in borrowed uniforms. Your vote is your right, and it is your power. Come out on election day, vote and protect your vote,” Aribisogan stated.

But the APC state Publicity Secretary, Segun Dipe, who spoke in a telephone interview, said the ADC members had only displayed their ignorance once again with their allegations.

Dipe, who said advanced technology had made use of another person’s PVC impossible, queried what APC would want to do with anybody’s voter card.

“The ADC have run out of what to say, and they are only displaying their ignorance. Nobody is mopping up PVCs.

“We will pardon their ignorance if they think that you can collect anybody’s PVC. Why can’t they collect another person’s PVC and see how useful or useless it is? So we are pardoning their ignorance,” he said.

The APC spokesperson, who also dismissed the allegation of kitting thugs in Amotekun outfits, said, “Amotekun is the project of the APC government. It is not the project of any other person. So why would we get fake Amotekun when we can recruit as many people into Amotekun?

“The duty of Amotekun is different. Amotekun is to ensure that people are not kidnapped; they go into the bushes. Are we kitting fake people to go into the bushes? So again, we pardon their ignorance for not knowing the roles and functions of Amotekun.”

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