A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Rotimi Amaechi, has said nobody has ever asked him to be a running mate to the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

Amaechi disclosed this in an interview with Chude Jideonwo, where he spoke about the alleged rigging of the presidential primaries.

According to Amaechi, “I stand by what I said about ‘concocted results,’ but I am still a member of ADC.

“I’m not joking, no one has ever asked me to be vice president because they know what my reaction would be.”

The just-concluded ADC presidential primary election saw Atiku emerge as the party’s candidate.

Results of the primary election showed that Atiku polled 1,855,787 votes to defeat Amaechi, who scored 509,397 votes, and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, who secured 180,903 votes.

Following the announcement, both Amaechi and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen rejected the outcome of the election.

A frontline political scientist and former senior lecturer in the Department of Political Science at the University of Ilorin, Abubakar Lasiele, has said the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and the opposition African Democratic Congress, ADC, made a major political miscalculation by fielding governorship candidates from the same Local Government Area in Kwara State.

Lasiele said the development amounts to an ‘own goal’ for both parties, arguing that the two candidates would end up splitting votes within the same political base while leaving other politically strategic districts relatively open.

He spoke on the sidelines of the annual dinner night organised by the Third Estate, an elite group on Wednesday night in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

“I don’t see any political sense in the APC and ADC picking their candidates from the same local government area. No matter how you look at it, it is already an own goal for them,” he said.

“Both Engr. Yakubu Danladi and Hon. Zakari Mohammed are from Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State. They are both strong grassroots politicians in the area. What this means is that they will naturally divide the votes coming from there.”

According to him, Zakari Mohammed may even enjoy a slight advantage because of his previous political exposure.

“Hon. Zakari particularly has an upper hand because he once represented the Baruten/Kaiama Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. So, he is not a stranger politically,” he added.

“So, what this means is that he will be sharing the same voting strength with his APC challenger across Kwara North.”

The political scientist said political parties ought to focus more on the independent electoral value of candidates before relying on incumbency power or political godfathers.

“The critical question parties should ask before choosing candidates is this: without incumbency or godfather backing, can this candidate stand on his own and win an election?” he queried.

“Any party whose candidate can independently tick that box already has a strong foundation. Party structure, funding, incumbency advantages, and godfather influence should only come afterwards.”

Lasiele also condemned the increasing politicisation of Eid prayer grounds, warning political actors against turning religious gatherings into campaign arenas.

“It is a desecration of the sanctity of the Eid ground for politicians to turn such spaces into campaign opportunities,” he said.

“I urge political stakeholders in the APC, PDP, and other parties to exercise restraint and respect the sacredness of the space.”

Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, NDC, has described politicians as “Goliath,” urging Nigerians to find a “David” to bring solutions to their problems.

The front-runner for the 2027 presidential election in Nigeria stated that politicians are obstructing the nation’s progress.

The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party emphasised that Nigeria needs a “David” to rescue the nation.

At a youth conference in Abuja organised by Rev. Fr. John Chinenye Oluoma of the Abuja Archdiocese, Obi stated that Nigeria must raise a “David” capable of defeating the “Goliath” within its polity for the country to move forward.

He said, “Today, at the David and Goliath Conference in Abuja, aimed at empowering Nigerian youths to confront their challenges, I made it clear that the Goliaths in Nigeria’s political landscape are the politicians who divert public funds for personal gain.

“I told the youths that these politicians are the primary Goliaths because they refuse to prioritise the country’s interests.”

Obi noted that all critical sectors — security, power, healthcare, and education — are suffering because of the leaders’ corrupt tendencies.

The youth delegates at the conference posed tough questions about overcoming the “Goliath” in their lives as Nigerians.

Obi said that from their questions, he identified the key areas where Nigeria is failing: security, education, health, and unemployment.

He challenged the youths to be realistic in their pursuits, live within their means, and reject artificial lifestyles as a way to conquer the “Goliath” in their lives.