The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary descended into acrimony on Tuesday as a contestant, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, boycotted the official announcement of results, claiming the process was marred by widespread vote rigging and irregularities.

Mr Hayatu-Deen announced his decision via a post on X, stating he would not be present at the result declaration scheduled for Tuesday.

“I will not be attending the announcement of the ADC Presidential Election Results today,” he wrote. “I am concerned by reports from across the country of widespread vote rigging, some of which I myself observed, and will therefore be taking advice on my next steps.”

The boycott has heightened tensions within the opposition party, which has positioned itself as a major platform to challenge President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.

Direct primary and leading contenders

The ADC conducted a direct primary using the Option A4 voting system, in which party members queued openly behind their preferred candidates across Nigeria’s 8,809 wards. An estimated 3.444 million registered party members were expected to participate.

The three major contenders are former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, and Mr Hayatu-Deen

Mr Hayatu-Deen had earlier expressed strong reservations about the process after casting his vote in Borno State, citing a lack of transparency and fairness. He also claimed that certain political actors attempted to pressure him into stepping down for another aspirant.

Atiku leads, ADC defends process

Despite the allegations, early results from various states showed Atiku holding a commanding lead.

The ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, defended the primary as one of the most credible democratic exercises currently taking place in Nigeria.

“ADC today is the only party conducting a real primary election in this country,” Mr Abdullahi said. “Even as we speak, none of the three aspirants can confidently tell you that they will fly the ADC ticket.”

Aspirants cast votes amid parallel exercises

On Monday, the three leading aspirants participated in the ward-level voting:

Atiku voted at the Ajiya Ward Polling Unit in Jimeta, Yola, Adamawa State, describing the process as “democracy at work.”

Rotimi Amaechi voted in his hometown of Ubima, Rivers State.

In a statement on X, Atiku praised the nationwide exercise as “a major step in our quest to recover our beloved country and set it on the path of prosperity.”

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Internal rivalries and past postponements

The current crisis reflects longstanding fissures within the ADC coalition. Amaechi had previously taken a swipe at Atiku’s record, questioning his electability despite repeated success in party primaries.

“I listened when they said the former vice president said he never failed a primary before. I hope this will be the first time he will fail primary,” Mr Amaechi had said in an interview.

“But that’s not even the issue. The issue is that at all times that you have passed primary, you have not won an election. So it’s about electability… what new thing do they bring to the table?”

The party had earlier postponed the screening of the aspirants due to disagreements among stakeholders, including allegations of attempts to impose a consensus candidate.

As the ADC grapples with these internal divisions, political observers say the outcome of the primary and how the party manages the ensuing crisis could determine its strength as a viable opposition force ahead of 2027.

Hayatu-Deen skips ADC presidential result announcement, calls it rigged

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