Excerpt: ADC chieftain, Dele Momodu defends the party’s primaries as fair, urging Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen to await final results.

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, (ADC), and veteran journalist, Dele Momodu, has defended the party’s presidential primary election amid allegations of irregularities, insisting the process was fair, and urging aggrieved aspirants, Chibuike Amaechi and Muhammad Hayatu-Deen, to allow the exercise to be fully concluded before raising concerns.

This comes after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was declared the winner of the ADC presidential primaries, with a landslide win of over 20 states, a result that has been challenged by fellow aspirants Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and Muhammad Hayatu-Deen over alleged irregularities in the process.

“What I find strange is the fact that before the conclusion of the election, two of the contestants did not wait before writing it off. Overnight, I looked through the states that have been already collated and declared, and I could see a fair pattern.

“I plead once again with Rotimi Amaechi and Muhammad Hayatu-Deen to please cool tempers and let the process be concluded before they raise concerns,” he urged.

Adding, he urged aggrieved aspirants to prioritise party unity and avoid actions that could undermine the ADC’s efforts ahead of the 2027 general election.

“If they love the party and they love Nigeria, and they truly want to remove Tinubu, then this is not the time for this type of bickering. For me, it is very concerning,” he said.

Emphasising on Atiku’s extensive political experience and nationwide network, Momodu noted that his long-standing presence in Nigerian politics has given him a clear advantage in the race, while urging party members to remain united despite internal disagreements.

“I never doubted that he’s the biggest fish in the race. Atiku has been running since 1993, when he stepped down for Chief Moshood Abiola in Jos, and he has built this nationwide network that will be difficult for any newcomer to build,” he noted.

Referencing Peter Obi’s withdrawal and defection from the ADC, Momodu described the move as a calculated and respectful step, suggesting he stepped aside after considering Atiku Abubakar’s strength in the race.

“That is why Peter Obi left quietly; he knew that in a race against Atiku, he had no chance. That’s why he left, and that’s more honorable. You know, he didn’t deceive himself that he could beat his former boss, in inverted commas,” Momodu underscored.

Momodu dismissed the allegations raised by Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen, insisting that the ADC primaries were properly conducted and peacefully monitored across the country.

“I can’t speak for both of them. I don’t know what they saw. I personally monitored a lot of the states yesterday. I was monitoring that election throughout yesterday; I didn’t go anywhere. And we were getting feedback from the field, and I can tell you—I even posted a lot of the videos—it was well conducted, peacefully conducted,” he insisted.

He also criticised the APC’s reported membership and voting figures, describing them as unrealistic and accusing the party of exaggerating numbers in its own internal processes.

“For anybody to say you are accredited and nearly 11 million people voted on a single day, and you counted it immediately? Even INEC could not have achieved that in one week. And then, what is the population of those in APC? Of course, what they did was an exaggeration. It was a big exaggeration, and it was very shameful and disgraceful that a party in broad daylight would show how they were conducting their primary and jumping from 1,000 to 2,000 before our very eyes,” he said.

Speaking on Former President Goodluck Jonathan’s possible political comeback, Chief Momodu praised the former president’s courage to re-enter politics, and maintained that the ADC prepared to face any candidate in a democratic contest.

“A former President of Nigeria must have his network; it makes the race more exciting for me. I salute his courage, because it takes courage to come back to say you want to be the President of Nigeria after you’ve left since 2015. That’s some 11 years ago. As for us at ADC, we welcome President Goodluck Jonathan anytime. We are ready to meet him on the day of election,” he stated.

Reiterating his support for Atiku, Momodu described him as a resilient and experienced politician whose long-standing presence in national politics makes him a unifying force within the party.

“Atiku has been a man of destiny from the beginning. He is still standing. It tells you that he has the hand of God in his life. I have no doubt in my mind that if he is destined to be the next president of Nigeria, Nigerians are going to see the goodness in this good man and they are going to support him. As for me, I will support him wholeheartedly because I’ve studied him, and he is the kind of bridge builder that we need at this time in Nigeria,” he stressed.

Momodu concluded by hailing Atiku as a model of tenacity and democratic values, describing him as disciplined, resilient, and committed to doing the right thing.

“We need him as an example of tenacity. We need him as an example of a man who knows that democracy is not a fight; it is about doing the right things. And I salute him. He’s my role model,” he concluded. (Arise News)

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