Amaechi Supporters Claim Imo ADC Presidential Primary Was a Secret Selection

Loyalists of former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Imo State have denounced the party’s presidential primary, which declared former Vice‑President Atiku Abubakar the winner, alleging it was a concealed selection rather than a direct vote.

According to the preliminary figures released, Atiku allegedly garnered 52,200 votes, Amaechi received 7,659 votes, and Mohammed Hayatudeen secured 1,121 votes to finish third.

Speaking to journalists in Owerri on Tuesday, Orlu Zonal Coordinator of the Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi Imo State Campaign Structure and Convener of the Movement for Amaechi’s Presidency, Chigozie Alex, asserted that no primary election was conducted in the state.

Alex claimed that agents of a rival candidate had compromised the returning officers, who were largely local government chairmen and House of Assembly aspirants.

He stated, “No elections were held in the majority of wards across Imo State. Registered ADC members who arrived to vote were turned away because there were no officials, no materials, and no polling units. Where any activity did occur, our accredited agents were not informed of the locations; they were kept in the dark while a clandestine process was carried out without their presence.”

“The returning officers for this so‑called primary were the party’s LGA chairmen and House of Assembly aspirants, the same individuals who have been compromised by agents of a rival candidate. This constitutes a fundamental breach of electoral integrity,” he added.

“What we observed was not a direct primary. It was a secret selection. The party, in collusion with agents of Atiku Abubakar, moved to undisclosed locations and conducted the entire process without our agents, without our members, and with total disregard for the ADC constitution and the Electoral Act.”

The group calls on the national leadership of the ADC to annul the sham primary conducted in Imo State, organise a fresh, transparent and inclusive direct primary across every ward, and guarantee that accredited agents receive full access to all polling stations. They warn that anything short of this amounts to an assault on democracy and the will of the party’s members.