Hayatu-Deen Boycotts ADC Results Announcement in Primary Fallout

ABUJA — Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, the economist and ADC presidential aspirant, boycotted the results announcement of the party’s presidential primary on Tuesday. His absence from the collation event added to the mounting evidence that the ADC primary has collapsed into a credibility crisis.

Hayatu-Deen did not issue a detailed public statement explaining his withdrawal from the results announcement. However, sources close to his campaign said he was dissatisfied with the manner in which the exercise was conducted and chose not to legitimise a process he considers fundamentally flawed.

His boycott came hours after Rotimi Amaechi publicly rejected the results on his X account. The simultaneous rejection of the primary by two of the three main aspirants effectively delegitimises whoever the ADC declares as its presidential candidate from this exercise.

Political analysts said the ADC’s primary debacle is a significant blow to Nigeria’s opposition project. The party had attracted major figures precisely because it promised to be a credible, clean alternative to the APC and PDP. A primary riddled with allegations of manipulation undermines that core proposition.

Peter Obi’s Foresight Vindicated

Senator Shehu Sani’s comment that Peter Obi showed foresight by exiting the ADC earlier has resonated strongly. Obi left the ADC coalition before the primary, citing an inability to reach a consensus among aspirants. His exit was criticised at the time as premature.

However, the primary’s collapse appears to vindicate his assessment. Had Obi remained in the ADC and participated in the primary, he would now either be defending a disputed result or joining the chorus of rejection. Neither outcome would have served his political interests ahead of 2027.

Furthermore, Obi’s next political move remains the subject of intense speculation. Labour Party leaders have renewed their calls for him to return to the party he led in 2023. Some ADC members who are not aligned with either the Atiku or Amaechi camps have also expressed interest in reaching out to Obi.

INEC Deadline Looms

The ADC primary crisis arrives just days before INEC’s May 30 deadline for submitting party candidates. If the party cannot resolve its internal dispute and present an agreed candidate, it may either submit a candidate disputed by major aspirants or miss the deadline altogether.

Legal experts said a disputed ADC presidential primary result could be challenged in court even after submission to INEC. If a court later nullifies the primary and the candidate’s nomination, the ADC would effectively have no presidential candidate for 2027.

The crisis has led some political observers to question whether the ADC was ever truly ready to be a national presidential platform or whether the influx of heavyweight aspirants simply overwhelmed an organisational structure that was not built to handle such competition.