A Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out a lawsuit filed by former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi challenging former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s victory in the African Democratic Congress presidential primary election.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik dismissed the case after Amaechi’s lawyer, Jibrin Okutepa, formally withdrew the suit, informing the court that the parties involved had resolved their differences.
Atiku won the party's presidential primary with 1,846,370 votes, defeating Amaechi, who secured 504,117 votes, while former FSB International Bank Managing Director Mohammed Hayatu-Deen finished third with 177,120 votes. Before the final results were announced, Amaechi rejected the outcome, alleging widespread voter disenfranchisement and electoral malpractice, and subsequently filed a lawsuit arguing that the primary violated provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, the ADC constitution, and party guidelines for the 2027 elections.
In his initial legal challenge, Amaechi had asked the court to stop Atiku from presenting himself as the ADC presidential candidate and sought an order preventing the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognizing him as the party's flag bearer. However, the political landscape shifted when the ADC announced Amaechi as Atiku’s running mate for the 2027 presidential election, bringing both politicians onto the same ticket and prompting the withdrawal of the case.
