A chieftain of the opposition African Democratic Congress, ADC, Ibrahim Garba Wala, has described the presidential primary of the opposition party as a shameless auction. 

Wala disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.

This comes as Rotimi Amaechi, a presidential aspirant of ADC and former Rivers State governor, on Tuesday rejected the primary on the ground that it failed to meet the standards of transparency and fairness.

Reacting, Wala backed Amaechi over his rejection of the primary. 

According to Wala, the primary was a “brazen, shameless auction that betrayed every value the ADC promised to uphold.” 

“What we witnessed during the primary elections was not a democratic primary; it was a brazen, shameless auction that betrayed every value the ADC promised to uphold.” 

He called on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to immediately wash his hands of what he described as “dirty, concocted primary election results.”

Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, has secured the backing of members of the Accord as the consensus candidate for the Odo-Otin State Constituency ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The endorsement was ratified during the party’s selection exercise held at the Okuku Town Hall in Odo-Otin Local Government Area of Osun State on Tuesday.

According to a statement issued by the Speaker’s spokesperson, Olamide Tiamiyu, officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, monitored the process.

The statement explained that party members and stakeholders across the constituency unanimously adopted Egbedun as the party’s flagbearer for the forthcoming election.

Reacting to the development, Egbedun described the endorsement as a fresh responsibility to intensify his service to residents of the constituency.

“This is a call to do more for our people. I am deeply honoured by the confidence reposed in me by members of the party and stakeholders across the constituency,” he said.

The lawmaker stated that the confidence shown in him would encourage him to continue pursuing projects and programmes aimed at improving the welfare of people in Odo-Otin.

“I see this not merely as an endorsement, but as a responsibility to continue working tirelessly for the development of Odo-Otin State Constituency and Osun State as a whole,” Egbedun added.

He also commended members of the party for maintaining peace throughout the exercise, noting that the conduct reflected unity within the Accord party in the constituency.

Egbedun pointed to the presence of electoral officials at the venue as evidence of the credibility and transparency of the process.

“The monitoring of the process by INEC officials further demonstrates the transparency and credibility of the exercise,” he stated.

The Chairman of Accord in Odo-Otin, Taiye Olatunji, said party leaders resolved to adopt the Speaker because of what he described as his achievements within three years in office.

Olatunji maintained that members of the party were convinced Egbedun remained the preferred candidate to represent the constituency, adding that the consensus decision reflected the confidence reposed in his leadership by stakeholders across Odo-Otin.

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has sent a birthday message to former Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, amid the latter’s rejection of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential primary results.

Atiku, in a message posted on his Facebook page on Wednesday, described Amaechi as “a brother and fellow patriot,” while commending his years of service to Rivers State and Nigeria.

“Happy Birthday to my brother and fellow patriot, H.E. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.

“Your courage, conviction, and years of service to Rivers State and Nigeria continue to inspire many across the nation. I wish you good health, strength, and many more years of impactful service to our dear country,” Atiku wrote.

The message comes a day after Amaechi rejected the outcome of the ADC presidential primaries, alleging widespread voter disenfranchisement and electoral malpractice.

Amaechi, in a statement posted on his X handle on Tuesday, described the outcome of the exercise as “concocted results.”

He said he had earlier stated that he would only accept the outcome of the primaries if the process was free, fair and transparent.

“I will not accept results from a process that does not reflect the values that the ADC had pledged to uphold,” Amaechi said.

The former Rivers State governor alleged that about 80 percent of party members across the country were prevented from voting during the exercise.

According to him, the ADC could not criticise vote buying, rigging and manipulation of election results by others while allegedly engaging in similar acts during its own primary.