The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has clarified that its South East regional leaders did not endorse former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi for the party’s 2027 presidential ticket, contrary to earlier media reports. The party’s national leadership had previously described such reports as “misleading” and “undemocratic.”
The clarification comes from Prof. Pat Utomi, a prominent chieftain of the ADC. In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), Utomi detailed the proceedings of a recent meeting of ADC South South leaders in Benin. He stated that Amaechi attended and “announced interest in contesting for the Party’s presidential ticket,” but that the request was merely received in line with tradition. “No word of discussion took place on the matter,” Utomi wrote, adding that “Representation of endorsement is inaccurate and disingenuous.”
This direct contradiction follows initial reports claiming the South South ADC leaders had formally backed Amaechi, a former minister under President Muhammadu Buhari. The ADC’s national leadership swiftly denied those reports, calling them a “troubling example of how selective narratives can distort political reality.”
Amaechi has publicly declared his intention to run for president in 2027 on the ADC platform. His potential candidacy would place him in a growing field of aspirants, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, both of whom have also announced their presidential ambitions for the election cycle.
The episode highlights the sensitivity around premature announcements of endorsements within political parties and underscores the ADC’s effort to control its internal narrative as it prepares for the 2027 election season. The party’s stance suggests that any formal presidential candidate will emerge through its constitutionally established primary processes, not through regional alignments or external declarations. The next significant step will be the ADC’s official commencement of its presidential primary timetable.
