ABUJA, NIGERIA — The internal crisis within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) deepened significantly on Tuesday following a dramatic walkout by former Rivers State Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi during a high-level party reconciliation meeting.
The emergency stakeholders’ assembly, convened in Abuja by former Senate President David Mark, was aimed at resolving the party’s intense presidential ticket friction ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Failed Consensus Push
Insiders present at the closed-door meeting disclosed that David Mark and several senior party elders explicitly pressured Amaechi to withdraw his presidential ambition. The stakeholders urged Amaechi to step down in favor of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, proposing that the ADC adopt Atiku as its unified consensus presidential candidate to present a singular front against the ruling party.
The proposition highly infuriated Amaechi, who flatly rejected the option. Following a heated verbal exchange with the meeting organizers over what he characterized as a biased and predetermined agenda, the former Transportation Minister abruptly staged a walkout, accompanied by several of his loyal political aides.
Media Broadside Against Atiku
Immediately after exiting the venue, an irate Amaechi went directly to a major media house in the federal capital to address the public. The former governor went on the offensive, openly declaring that the ADC would be making a fatal electoral mistake by handing its ticket to Atiku.
“Atiku can never win the general election, even if he gets the ADC ticket,” Amaechi stated during the media briefing. He argued that the former Vice President carries too much political baggage from past electoral outings and lacks the contemporary nationwide appeal required to unseat the current administration. Amaechi vowed to fight for the ticket at the open party primaries, warning that any attempts by party leaders to impose a consensus candidate would fracture the ADC completely.
Fractured Coalition Dynamics
The public falling out highlights the chaotic political realignments currently rocking the ADC. The party has struggled to maintain internal cohesion following the recent exit of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
With Amaechi openly drawing a battle line against Atiku, political observers state that the ADC’s leadership faces a difficult task in keeping its remaining heavyweight politicians from tearing the party platform apart before the formal primary elections begin.
