By Luminous Jannamike
ABUJA – Support expressed for the 2027 presidential ambition of former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, at the South-South leadership meeting of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is not binding on party stakeholders in the zone, the party’s National Vice Chairman (South-South), Usani Uguru Usani, has clarified.
In simple terms, the party is saying the loud support heard at the meeting should not be mistaken for a compulsory endorsement. While many leaders openly backed Amaechi, members of the party across the South-South are still free to make their own political choices.
In a statement on Saturday night, the National Vice Chairman (South-South) of the ADC explained what transpired at the February 27 meeting and why the voice vote has generated debate.
Usani said the sequence began during internal leadership discussions in the zone when Amaechi formally declared his intention to contest the presidency in the 2027 general election and appealed for support from stakeholders in his geopolitical base.
He noted that a suggestion was later raised on the floor for a motion to uphold the request. A brief remark then followed to restate the appeal and underline the importance of getting the general opinion of the regional leader, former Edo State governor, John Odigie-Oyegun.
According to the statement, the regional leader subsequently called for a voice vote.
“At the call for response, there was a loud affirmative ‘AY’ while a contra call had no ‘NAY’ response,” Usani said.
He explained that the applause that followed was widely taken as a show of support for Amaechi’s aspiration.
“This applause was a pledge to support him, which can be interpreted as endorsement,” he added.
However, the party chieftain cautioned against reading the development as a binding decision on members of the party in the zone.
“Notably, this development does not compel individual actions based on conviction. It does not also imply that support base for other aspirants within the zone is non-existent,
“I find it compelling to offer this step-by-step procedure in order to guarantee the integrity of participants and equally secure the harmony of the forum as we look forward to more challenging eventualities in our general struggle,” he said.
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