Intrigues as Atiku takes early lead, Hayatu-Deen pulls out of race

Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, one of the three contenders for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential ticket, on Tuesday, boycotted the announcement of the party’s Presidential primaries’ results, alleging widespread rigging and irregularities in the exercise.

Hayatu-Deen, in a statement, said reports emerging from across the Country had raised serious concerns about the credibility and transparency of the process.

Recall that the ADC conducted its Presidential primaries using the direct mode across the Country on Monday and scheduled the final collation and announcement of results on Tuesday in Abuja.

BusinessDay reports that earlier on Tuesday, the ADC deferred the collation and official announcement of results from its Presidential primary election in Abuja to allow for a security sweep at the venue.

The exercise, initially scheduled for 10 am suffered an unexpected delay after journalists, election observers, party members and supporters who arrived early at the venue were asked to vacate the hall for security checks.

Announcing the development, the event’s master of ceremony, said the security sweep would continue until 4 pm, after which the final collation of results would commence.

Meanwhile, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has taken an early lead in the presidential primary after securing victories in five States.

Although the party’s national leadership is yet to officially announce the final collated results from the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory as of press time, early figures obtained from several states indicated that Atiku was maintaining a strong lead in the ongoing count.

The former vice president was reported to have won in Gombe, Abia, Ebonyi, Sokoto and Zamfara States, further boosting expectations that he could clinch the party’s presidential ticket if the current trend continues.

The candidate selection process is being closely monitored by political stakeholders and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

However, Hayatu-Deen said, “I will not be attending the announcement of the ADC Presidential Election Results today. I am deeply concerned by reports from across the country of widespread vote rigging, some of which I personally observed, and I will therefore be taking advice on my next steps.”

The development came amid a fierce contest for the ADC presidential ticket involving former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, and Hayatu-Deen.

The ADC adopted the direct primary option for the emergence of its 2027 Presidential candidate after efforts to secure a consensus among the party’s three aspirants failed.

The decision paved the way for primary elections across the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), while results from several states are still being awaited ahead of the final collation and official declaration in Abuja.

The party’s leadership had earlier assured members and observers that the primary election would be conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner.

However, Hayatu-Deen’s decision to distance himself from the result announcement is expected to deepen tension within the opposition party as collation of results continues nationwide.

Similarly, Rotimi Amaechi, has rejected the outcome of the party’s Presidential primaries conducted on Monday, alleging widespread irregularities and voter disenfranchisement.

In a statement personally signed on Tuesday night ahead of the official collation and final declaration of results, Amaechi described the exercise as flawed and inconsistent with the democratic ideals the party promised Nigerians.

“Following reports of widespread voter disenfranchisement in most parts of the country during the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primaries yesterday, I unequivocally reject the concocted results being announced,” he stated.

The former Minister of Transportation said he had earlier made it clear that he would only accept the outcome of a process that was free, fair and transparent. According to him, the conduct of the exercise failed to meet those standards.

“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 in rescuing Nigerians from impunity and gross mismanagement,” he said.

Amaechi further alleged that a large percentage of party members were denied the opportunity to participate in the exercise.

“There is no way that about 80%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 queried.

He warned that any opposition party seeking to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) must avoid the same electoral malpractices it criticises.

“A party that criticises the APC and INEC for vote-buying, rigging and writing of results cannot itself engage in vote-buying, result manipulation and other electoral malpractices that disenfranchise party members. This is not acceptable,” Amaechi declared.

Recall that ahead of the 2023 Presidential election, Hayatu-Deen had withdrawn from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential race in a letter addressed to the then National Chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu, on the very day the opposition party conducted its Presidential primary poll.

In the letter dated May 27, Hayatu-Deen said his decision to pull out of the race was due to the obscene monetisation of the contest.