Leaders of the South-South zone of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have moved to debunk reports that they endorsed former Rotimi Amaechi as the party’s presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement on Saturday, the South-South Zonal Publicity Secretary, Mabel Oboh, described media reports suggesting a regional endorsement for Amaechi as “misleading, undemocratic, and a troubling example of how selective narratives can distort political reality.”
The clarification followed widespread online and print claims that party elders had backed Amaechi during a February 27 meeting in Benin City.
The meeting, which took place at the residence of ADC chieftain and former national chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, brought together party elders and representatives from all six South-South states.
According to Oboh, the gathering’s primary purpose was to strengthen internal cohesion, deepen grassroots mobilisation, and position the party for future elections, not to endorse any individual.
While Amaechi formally informed leaders of his intention to contest for the party’s presidential ticket, Oboh stressed that this was a courtesy briefing and not an endorsement.
“Consultation is not endorsement, and courtesy is not coronation,” she noted, adding that no motion, resolution, vote, or consensus was taken in support of any aspirant.
Oboh also underscored that the authority to nominate and elect candidates rests with the party’s constitutional organs and its members, not a few leaders at a zonal meeting.
She argued that suggestions of an endorsement undermine the party’s commitment to internal democracy and constitutional processes.
The clarification comes amid competing narratives in the Nigerian press.
Some reports quoted Odigie-Oyegun as saying the meeting had ended with a unanimous support for Amaechi, but those claims have since been challenged by party officials and political figures including ADC chieftain Prof. Pat Utomi, who also denied any regional endorsement took place.
