By Ayo Kehinde
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, on Thursday, moved to calm the growing crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC) following the party’s presidential primary election, as he paid a visit to former Rivers State Governor and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, at his Abuja residence.
Atiku was accompanied during the visit by Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, who represents Sokoto South Senatorial District and is a key figure within the opposition coalition built around the ADC platform.
The meeting came amid rising tension within the party after Amaechi openly rejected the outcome of the ADC presidential primary election won by Atiku, alleging widespread irregularities, voter disenfranchisement and manipulation of results.
Although details of the closed-door meeting were not officially disclosed as of press time, the visit is widely believed to be part of urgent reconciliation efforts to prevent a major split within the opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The post-primary crisis intensified after Amaechi described the results announced by the party as “concocted” and inconsistent with democratic principles.
The former Rivers governor had accused the ADC leadership of denying a large percentage of party members the opportunity to participate in the exercise.
“I unequivocally reject the concocted results being announced”, Amaechi stated in a strongly worded message posted on his X platform shortly after the primary election.
He further alleged that the party leadership engaged in the same practices it had repeatedly condemned in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), including alleged vote buying, manipulation and disenfranchisement of voters.
“There’s no way that about eighty percent of members of the party were not allowed to vote, and you expect me to accept such results”, Amaechi added.
Atiku emerged winner of the ADC presidential primary election after polling 1,846,370 votes to defeat Amaechi, who secured 504,117 votes, while economist, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, garnered 177,120 votes.
The results were officially announced in Abuja by the party’s Chief Returning Officer, Senator Tunde Ogbeha, following the conclusion of nationwide collation.
However, the exercise was overshadowed by controversy after both Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen rejected the conduct of the primary and raised allegations of widespread vote rigging and irregularities.
Hayatu-Deen had earlier distanced himself from the concluding stage of the exercise, including the official declaration of results, over concerns about the credibility of the process.
The businessman and former banker said reports from several states suggested widespread manipulation during the primary election.
The growing discontent among defeated aspirants triggered fears of a possible implosion within the ADC at a critical period when opposition forces are attempting to consolidate ahead of the next presidential election.
Political observers say Thursday’s meeting between Atiku and Amaechi may be crucial to preserving unity within the opposition coalition and preventing the crisis from escalating into a full-blown factional conflict capable of weakening the ADC’s political momentum.
Tambuwal’s presence at the meeting is also seen as significant, given his strategic role in ongoing coalition negotiations and reconciliation efforts among key opposition figures.
Sources within the party disclosed that consultations were ongoing among senior ADC stakeholders to pacify aggrieved aspirants and maintain cohesion within the coalition.
As of the time of filing this report, neither Atiku nor Amaechi had issued an official statement on the outcome of the meeting or whether any agreement had been reached to resolve the crisis.
