By Spear NewsNg
The South-South zone of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), led by Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has rejected two leading aspirants – former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi – as the presidential candidate of the party.
Atiku and Obi have been canvassing for the ticket of the party and were tipped as favourites. However, in a swift turn of events that may sow crisis in the ADC, the Odigie-Oyegun-led zone announced its endorsement of former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, for the ADC presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 election.
Speaking during Amaechi’s visit to the group of regional leaders in a viral video seen by Spear News Nigeria, Odigie-Oyegun disclosed that the former Rivers State governor formally informed them of his intention to contest the presidency.
“In the process, we are glad that our son, His Excellency, Chibuike Amaechi, took advantage of this meeting to brief us formally of his intention to run for the presidency of our great nation,” Odigie-Oyegun said.
Commending Amaechi, he added, “We were very pleased to thank him for the respect he has for the leaders of the zone; for not letting loose in his zone, setting up his own personal structure, by ensuring, like any good son, that he tells his people what he has in mind before he embarks on it.”
According to him, “We were pleased, and I can report that a unanimous decision was taken to give him all the support that he needs in pursuit of his ambition.”
The endorsement represents a significant setback for Atiku and Obi, who had been building momentum within the party. The development signals potential internal strife within the ADC as factions align behind different candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.
Odigie-Oyegun further revealed that the group plans to hold regular meetings aimed at strengthening collaboration among political stakeholders in the South-South region.
“We are going to meet regularly. This group of leaders is going to meet regularly to interact and to learn from each other’s experience, so that, as usual, the South-South zone will become an example to be emulated by other zones in the nation. That reflects basically in this decision,” he stated.
The ADC chieftain also emphasized the need for peaceful political activities as preparations for the 2027 elections gather momentum, urging authorities and stakeholders to promote stability and avoid violence.
“A lot of speakers, of course, emphasized the fact that we hope the government will approach the run-up to the elections and allow peace to reign, allow stability to reign, and eschew violence in the run-up to the elections that will come in 2027,” he noted.
He added that members of the African Democratic Congress remain conscious of the limited time before the elections and are committed to their political objectives.
“We are very aware that time is short, and we, as the ADC, are committed,” Odigie-Oyegun concluded.
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