Presidential Primaries Election Committee of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has assured that there would be no manipulation of figures to influence the outcome of the election.
New Telegraph reports that three aspirants, former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, and former chairman of Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG), Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, are contesting the primaries.
Chairman, ADC Presidential Primaries Election Committee, Chief Ikechi Emenike, at a press conference in Abuja on Monday, promised that the committee would not inflate the party’s registration numbers to deceive Nigerians.
“And when counting the votes, we will not jump from 3 to 30 or from 500 to 1000,” Chief Emenike stated, adding, “we know how to count properly and arithmetically.”
He said the electoral committee understands the enormity of the task before it, and “therefore wishes to assure all aspirants and members of a free, fair, transparent and credible exercise that will not only strengthen internal democracy within the party but also deepen democratic culture in Nigeria as a whole.”
The Chairman stated that ADC remains resolute in its commitment to building a nation anchored on justice, equity, competence, accountability, inclusivity and the genuine will of the people.
“We believe that democracy must begin within political parties before it can truly flourish in governance,” he added.
Emenike stated that at a time when democratic values are increasingly being degraded within the nation’s political landscape, the ADC stands out as the only political party in Nigeria that is demonstrating genuine commitment to transparent, inclusive and democratic principles in the selection of its presidential candidate.
According to him, the party has embraced a credible democratic process that gives every qualified aspirant an equal opportunity to present their vision and earn the support of party members across the country.
He said the three aspirants are capable and qualified to pilot the affairs of the country at this most difficult time, describing them as genuine presidential contenders, “not some shadowy candidate contrived to confer legitimacy on a process where one man contested against himself.
“Nigeria deserves a democratic example, and the ADC is proud to lead that example.”
ADC National Organising Secretary, Prince Chinedu Idigo, disclosed that the process was meticulously followed to select the best candidates who can win elections for the party.
“The process we have put in place is making sure that the best is elected,” he added.
The NOS stated that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been given the required notices to monitor the ADC primaries, adding, “the report reaching us here is that the presidential primaries are also being supervised by INEC all over the federation. We are not like the other side. We are ADC.”
