By Peter Effiom
African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar paid fellow party candidate Mohammed Hayatu-Deen a visit at his Lagos home on Sunday, May 31.
In an apparent attempt to make amends with disgruntled members after the party’s presidential primary, they convened behind closed doors.
The former vice president was given the party’s flag and won the ADC presidential ticket a few days before the conference. Atiku was given the party flag after being nominated as the ADC’s presidential candidate.
Hayatu-Deen and Rotimi Amaechi, the former minister of transportation, had disputed the primary results, claiming that the voting process had been tampered with. Hayatu-Deen distanced himself from the process by declaring that he would not attend the formal results announcement, while Amaechi had called the primary results “concocted.”
The meeting with Hayatu-Deen follows Atiku’s similar visit to Amaechi at his home in Abuja, which was intended to bring the party together and bolster support after the controversial primary process.
After becoming the party’s flagbearer, Atiku urged disgruntled candidates and party members to put the election behind them and cooperate so that the ADC could win the general election in 2027.
He advised them to rejoin the party and unite with the others. He urged Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen to work with him in what he called a joint endeavor to fortify democracy and tackle Nigeria’s problems.
They ought to stand with him in this struggle to save our country and democracy. He insisted that there should be no winners or losers in the primary, arguing that internal party elections should not lead to long-lasting divides.
In order to strengthen the ADC before the next election cycle, Atiku also promised to collaborate with all party stakeholders.
There were neither winners nor losers, he claimed. “Our people look up to us for leadership, and I am ready to lead,” he continued.
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