The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has pledged to investigate complaints raised by former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, following the party’s presidential primary won by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
The assurance came on Thursday from a member of the ADC Presidential Primary Committee, Lawal Batagarawa, who said the party would activate its internal dispute resolution mechanisms to address the concerns trailing the exercise.
Atiku secured a landslide victory at the primary with about 1.8 million votes, while Amaechi polled 540,117 votes and Hayatu-Deen garnered 177,120 votes. Both defeated aspirants have since rejected the outcome, alleging irregularities and voter disenfranchisement.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE News, Batagarawa said disagreements were not unusual in high-stakes political contests, but insisted the party would not ignore the petitions raised.
“In any contest of this nature, there will be dissatisfaction,” he said. “The complaints will be thoroughly reviewed to ensure everyone is satisfied that the process complied with party rules and the laws of the country.”
Responding directly to allegations from Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen, Batagarawa maintained that the ADC was committed to transparency and would not treat the matter lightly.
“We are not taking what they are saying lightly. It will be looked into thoroughly in such a way that they can be satisfied things went correctly,” he added.
The committee member also defended Atiku’s post-primary remarks in which he urged President Bola Tinubu to “pack and return to Lagos,” describing it as normal political rhetoric expected in the build-up to a general election campaign.
On concerns that the dispute could widen cracks within the party ahead of the 2027 general elections, Batagarawa said the ADC would rely on its established internal processes to manage tensions and strengthen cohesion.
“We have due processes in the party and we are going to go through them,” he said, adding that broader consultations on strengthening the party’s presidential structure would continue internally.
The development comes amid heightened political positioning within opposition ranks as parties begin early negotiations and alignments ahead of the 2027 election cycle.
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