Hayatu-Deen Alleges Malpractices In ADC Primaries As Aspirants Await Results

By Ademu Idakwo, Abuja; Francis Okoye, Maiduguri; Aza Msue, Kaduna; Damilola Origbemisuyi, Akure; Okechukwu Obeta, Awka; Anayo Onukwugha, Port Harcourt; Nnamdi Mbawike, Enugu; Ahmed Tahir, Lafia; and Attah Anthony, Jalingo

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential aspirant, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, has decried alleged malpractices in the party’s presidential primaries, saying the process fell short of transparency and fairness.

Speaking after the exercise in his ward in Borno State, Hayatu-Deen said he received reports of irregularities from delegates and party stakeholders across several states.

He also stated that he received numerous phone calls urging him to step down for a particular candidate whom he did not name.

He said the complaints undermined confidence in the credibility of the primary and called on the party leadership to address them in order to protect the ADC’s image ahead of 2027.

Besides Hayatu-Deen, the ADC had screened and cleared former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi to contest the party’s presidential ticket ahead of next January’s election.

Hayatu-Deen, a former PDP presidential aspirant, joined the ADC in August 2025 and picked up the party’s presidential nomination form in September. He had previously said he would not step down unless the primary process was transparent.

Speaking yesterday after participating in the primaries, 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.”

Hayatu-Deen said the people of Southern Borno assembled in large numbers to vote in the morning. While noting that they voted peacefully, he disclosed that the electoral officers who were supposed to collate the results did not fill in the result sheets and instead walked away, meaning that they went somewhere secluded, as instructed by their principals, to fill in the result sheets in the absence of the voters. We will fight this criminality to the end.

Meanwhile, in Abuja, the ADC insisted that it was the only political party currently conducting a transparent and credible presidential primary process.

The party also challenged the ruling APC to make its membership register public. It dismissed the ruling party’s claim of having 11 million members, saying it was projecting votes for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Speaking with journalists yesterday ahead of preparations for the collation of results from the presidential primaries, chairman of the ADC Presidential Primary Election Committee, Chief Ikechi Emenike, said the ADC had demonstrated a genuine commitment to internal democracy and transparency in the selection of its candidates.

He said every qualified aspirant was given a fair opportunity to canvass support from party members across the country without manipulation or imposition.

“The ADC has embraced a credible democratic process that gives every qualified aspirant equal opportunity to present their vision and earn the support of party members nationwide,” Emenike said.

He took a swipe at the APC over what he described as inflated figures and questionable arithmetic in the electoral process.

“As you can see, we know how to count properly and arithmetically. We are ADC; we will not inflate our registration numbers to deceive Nigerians. When counting votes, we will not jump from three to 30 or from 500 to 1,000,” he stated.

The ADC national publicity secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, described the APC’s claim of having 11 million registered members as “false and misleading”, challenging the ruling party to present its membership register for public scrutiny.

“We are proud that we are the only political party conducting presidential primaries today. As we speak, none of the aspirants can confidently say they will emerge as the party’s flagbearer because the process is transparent. The winner will be announced tomorrow afternoon,” Abdullahi said.

He disclosed that the ADC had submitted a verified membership figure of 3.4 million members to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), insisting that the party had no reason to manipulate figures.

The exercise was peaceful in most states, he noted.

Kaduna

ADC members voted in the gubernatorial and presidential primary elections held across Kaduna State on Monday.

Our correspondent, who monitored the exercise, reports that party members came out in large numbers to vote for their preferred presidential, governorship and State House of Assembly candidates.

There were no reported cases of violence as of the time of filing this report.

Kaduna State leader of the ADC and former governor, Nasir El-Rufai, did not participate following his detention by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over allegations of corrupt practices bordering on financial misconduct — allegations El-Rufai has consistently denied.

Speaking with our correspondent on the telephone over the conduct of the primaries, the ADC’s elected State Publicity Secretary, Darius Kurah, who is yet to be sworn in, said:

“I am in my village in Southern Kaduna, and the ADC primaries went smoothly without any issues here. Our party members came out to vote for the candidates of their choice. Across Kaduna State, I called various local government areas, and they told me there were no problems and that voting went on without hitches. Hopefully, between this evening and tomorrow afternoon, the collation of results will be completed and announced,” he said.

Ondo

The party conducted its presidential primary election peacefully across the 203 wards in Ondo State as the collation of results commenced across the local government areas.

Speaking with LEADERSHIP shortly after the exercise, the Ondo State Secretary of the ADC, Ambassador Olakunle Adeloye, said the primary commenced early in the day, with party members converging at various ward collation centres across the state.

He disclosed that results from the exercise were still being collated at the time of filing this report, noting that it was too early to determine the eventual winner.

According to him, the party had begun collating results from local government areas across the state, stressing that the process remained orderly and transparent.

“We are in the process of collating results from one local government to another, so I cannot say specifically who will emerge because I am not a soothsayer,” he said.

Anambra

The chairman of the ADC primary elections in Anambra State, Hon. Nduaka Nworisara, said he was satisfied with the turnout of party members in yesterday’s primary election for the selection of the party’s presidential flagbearer.

He told LEADERSHIP that his committee deployed three primary election officials to each of the 326 wards across the state for the conduct of the election.

He said the committee made proper arrangements to ensure that party members in the riverine areas of the state, especially in Anambra West, Anambra East and Ogbaru local government areas, were not disenfranchised.

He further disclosed that the party had already conducted primary elections for the selection of its candidates for the National Assembly constituencies — the Senate and the 11 House of Representatives seats — and that the names of the candidates had been forwarded to the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.

A LEADERSHIP correspondent observed that the presidential primary election was progressing smoothly at the centres visited.

The exercise was conducted through direct primaries, otherwise known as “Option A4”, as party members queued behind posters of the various candidates.

Rivers

The exercise was held hitch-free in Rivers State despite internal wrangling within the party’s ranks.

The wrangling followed the emergence of two governorship candidates: Dr Fara Dagogo, a former member of the House of Representatives, and Hon. Gabriel Pidomson, a former Secretary to the State Government.

Despite the internal disagreements, ADC members turned out en masse at wards across the state for the exercise.

Amaechi, who is also a former governor of Rivers State, participated in the exercise and voted at his ward in Ubima community in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state.

Speaking with LEADERSHIP in Port Harcourt, the ADC chairman in the state, Dr Chukwudi Dimkpa, described the party’s presidential primary election in the state as transparent and peaceful.

Dimkpa said: “The exercise was very transparent and peaceful. It is almost concluded in all the wards across the state, and we are expecting the returning officers at the state collation centre.”

Enugu

ADC members in Enugu participated in the party’s presidential primary election at ward level.

Our correspondent, who monitored the exercise in some wards in Enugu, observed that the process was peaceful.

The chairman of Enugu North Ward 6, Ibekwe Ibegbulam Kelvin, said he was impressed with the turnout of people for the primary.

Our correspondent also observed that the exercise was peaceful at Awkunanaw Ward Seven.

As of the time of filing this report, the result of the primary had yet to be declared.

Taraba

In Taraba, the presidential and other primary elections were held under tight security in a peaceful atmosphere across the state.

The exercise also recorded low turnout among party members across the 16 local government areas of the state.

Speaking after the exercise, the Returning Officer for the ADC presidential, governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly primary elections, Arch. Kupchi Hosea Maxwell, commended party members for their orderly conduct throughout the process.

Arch. Maxwell said the exercise was generally peaceful and orderly, except for a few challenges, which security operatives were able to contain.

He, however, said he was not authorised to announce the results of the presidential primary, as the final collation and declaration would be done at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.

He stressed that the committee had started collating and counting results and hoped to conclude the process the same day before taking the collated results to Abuja.

Meanwhile, Maxwell announced Senator Abubakar Umar Tutare as the sole ADC governorship candidate for Taraba State after he emerged unopposed in the primary election.

Nasarawa

Former Minister of Youth and Sports Development and chairman of the electoral committee of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Hon. Solomon Dalung, has given reasons for the cancellation of the governorship primary election earlier conducted by the party in four local government areas of Nasarawa State following irregularities, violence and other controversies.

Addressing newsmen in Lafia at the party’s secretariat yesterday, he said the affected local government areas were Nasarawa, Doma, Toto and Karu, each with different challenges.

“In Doma, no election was conducted; only written results were submitted, and agents confirmed they had no carbon copies.

“In Toto, the electoral officers reported being detained by unknown persons in Keffi from noon to 10 p.m. and later presented results obtained under those circumstances.

“In Nasarawa LGA, materials were distributed at a vigilante post, but the officer said he was not allowed to proceed and was later handed the results.

“Violence preceded the election in Karu, and the party chairman was attacked. The electoral officer abandoned the process, and an unauthorised person later submitted results.”