The South-South leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has denied reports that it formally endorsed former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as a consensus presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections, the party said in a statement on Saturday.
Reports had circulated that regional ADC leaders in the South-South geopolitical zone agreed to back Amaechi’s presidential ambition during a meeting of zonal leaders held on February 27 at the residence of Chief John Odigie-Oyegun in Benin City, Edo State.
The meeting was attended by party elders, senior stakeholders and representatives from states including Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo and Rivers.
Amaechi, a former Minister of Transportation and ex-governor of Rivers State, has publicly declared his intention to seek the ADC presidential nomination for the 2027 elections, and at the meeting, he informed regional leaders of his intention to contest.
The party’s internal processes require candidate nomination and selection to be conducted through constitutionally recognised organs and its membership base.
In a statement issued on behalf of the ADC South-South Zonal Leadership, the Zonal Publicity Secretary, Mabel Oboh, described claims that the meeting resulted in Amaechi’s endorsement as “misleading” and “undemocratic”, adding that no such endorsement occurred.
She said the gathering focused on strengthening unity within the party and deepening grassroots mobilisation ahead of future electoral contests.
According to Oboh, Amaechi’s briefing to the leaders was a courtesy consultation and not a motion of endorsement.
She stated that “consultation is not endorsement, and courtesy is not coronation”, and said that at no point during the meeting was a vote conducted, resolution adopted, or consensus reached in support of any aspirant.
The statement reiterated that the authority to nominate and elect candidates rests with the party’s constitutional organs and its members, not with a zonal-level gathering.
Some earlier reports citing party leaders suggested a South-South consensus backing, but the zonal leadership clarified that these reports were inaccurate.
Oboh emphasised that the meeting’s stated purpose was internal cohesion and strategic positioning rather than conferring support on any individual aspirant.
The statement said, “Consultation is not endorsement, and courtesy is not coronation. At no time before, during or after the meeting was any motion introduced, resolution passed, vote conducted or consensus reached in support of any aspirant.”
The statement added that suggesting otherwise would undermine the party’s commitment to internal democracy and that the power to nominate candidates rests with constitutionally recognised organs of the party and its members.
The clarification by the ADC South-South leadership comes amid heightened political activity ahead of the 2027 general elections and multiple public declarations by political actors.
The party’s position underscores internal procedural norms for candidate selection in Nigeria’s multiparty electoral system, where nomination and endorsement processes are governed by party constitutions and membership involvement.
