Presidential Aspirant on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Alhaji Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, said despite the irregularities during the party’s presidential primary, he will not challenge the outcome in court.
New Telegraph recalls that ADC had declared former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar the winner of the primary and has adopted him as its candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
Hayatu-Deen in the statement he personally signed, expressed disappointment with the conduct of the primary, but said he believes that strong and united opposition is greater than individual ambition.
“Nigeria urgently requires a strong, credible and united opposition. That objective must always remain larger than individual ambition or temporary political disappointment,’ he said.
The former aspirant noted that he decided to boycott the ADC result collation because the issues he raised go to the heart of the kind of democratic culture needed to move Nigeria forward.
According to him, the experience he gained when he joined partisan politics in 2022 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), taught him important lessons about politics, leadership, institutions, and Nigeria itself.
“It was that experience that shaped many of my expectations going into the African Democratic Congress presidential primary of May 25, 2026,” he said.
Alhaji Hayatu-Deen explained that he joined ADC because he believed that the party represented an opportunity to build something different, “a credible opposition movement anchored on a robust ideology, integrity, internal democracy and national renewal.”
He expressed the belief that many Nigerians, especially younger Nigerians, were searching for a politics that speaks not only to power, but to high purpose, which he explained is a politics that is less driven by bitterness and more inspired by service and responsibility.
The aspirant noted that throughout his primary campaign, he travelled across the country speaking with party members, young people, women leaders, professionals, students, entrepreneurs, farmers, artisans and countless ordinary Nigerians, who he said, were deeply concerned about the direction of the nation.
“Everywhere I went, I encountered what I have come to describe as the silent majority.
“These are Nigerians who may not always dominate public discourse or social media conversations, but who carry within them a quiet and enduring hope for a better country.
“Nigerians who still believe that leadership matters. Nigerians who still believe that integrity matters.
“Nigerians who are not asking for perfection, but who long for a high quality of life, a safer and more secure society, fairness, equity, competence and compassion in governance.
“Nigerians who still believe that visionary and selfless leadership matters,” he added.
Hayatu-Deen stated the outcome of the May 25 ADC presidential primary did not fully meet his expectations, and disclosed that he has communicated his concerns about certain processes and procedural matters directly and privately to the leadership of the party.
He expressed the belief that those concerns would be reviewed in the spirit of continuous improvement, “because any party that aspires to lead Nigeria must first demonstrate democratic discipline and integrity within its own walls.”
Hayatu-Deen expressed gratitude to every Nigerian who believed in his campaign and urged them not to stop believing in the country or surrender to cynicism.
