The National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Bolaji Abdullahi, has applauded the conduct of the party’s primary election held across the country on Monday.
Speaking during an appearance on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time,’ he boasted that the ADC is the only party that is not controlled by an individual.
He stated that the election is the most competitive primary he has ever experienced.
According to him, “The ADC is the only party today that is not controlled by an individual. We have three top-class candidates who, in their own right, are eminently qualified and can do better than President Tinubu. Deciding who should withdraw for whom is a challenge.
“Thousands of wards across the country, our members have trooped down to vote in one of the most competitive internal elections that I have ever experienced in my life.
“Even as I speak to you, I cannot tell you who won in my home state, Kwara, and in many other states that I have been closely watching. It is that competitive.”
Meanwhile, a 2027 presidential aspirant of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, has alleged that there are cases of malpractices in the ongoing presidential primaries of the party.
Speaking on Monday after participating in the exercise in Borno, Hayatu-Deen said he has received reports from parts of the country of certain malpractices in the ADC presidential primaries that are ugly and disturbing.
He added that certain persons have also been calling him and putting pressure on him to step down from the race for another aspirant.
Despite the complaints, the Borno politician, however, said the primary election was peaceful and satisfactory in his own ward.
He also called on leaders of the party to address the challenges and alleged malpractices in order to protect the ADC’s image ahead of 2027.
He said, “Today is a momentous day because the ADC presidential primaries are still ongoing. I am just coming from my ward, where the atmosphere is peaceful, and the people assured me they would vote massively for my candidature.
“However, I would like to bring to the attention of the entire country certain malpractices that are ugly and disturbing. First and foremost, I have received a number of phone calls from people asking me to step down for a particular candidate, claiming that my candidature is going to cause problems for the party.
“This should be a free, fair and transparent election. Anybody capable of contesting any office has the right to present himself for service. I have gone through the presidential screening exercise. The ADC has issued a press statement to the effect that Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, Atiku Abubakar, and Rotimi Amaechi have been cleared to contest the primaries.
“It is unimaginable that anybody could be so cheeky as to call me to step down for a particular candidate. For example, in Kaduna State, this morning and this afternoon, when party faithful assembled, they were told that a consensus had been reached and that Mohammed Hayatu-Deen had stepped down.
“In Zaria, where I have a lot of supporters, the election had not yet taken place as of 5 p.m. People were denied their rights. This act is criminal and fraudulent. We are not prepared to tolerate this criminality, and we are going to fight it to the end.”
Hayatudeen also claimed that the people of Southern Borno assembled in large numbers and voted peacefully in the morning.
According to him, the electoral officers who were supposed to collate the results, however, did not fill in the result sheets and instead walked away to a secluded area to fill in the result sheets in the absence of the voters.
He, however, vowed to fight till the end.