No Candidate Was Endorsed at South-South ADC Meeting – Jackie Wayas

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and National Deputy Publicity Secretary (Conventional Media), Jackie Wayas, has clarified that no aspirant was endorsed at the recent meeting of party leaders in the South-South region.

In a statement on Saturday, Wayas said the meeting was convened to deepen unity and strengthen the party’s structure across the region, not to confer support on any presidential hopeful.

She explained that the session brought together key stakeholders and party leaders to assess the party’s progress and chart a coordinated path forward.

According to her, former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, formally notified the regional leadership of his intention to contest for the party’s presidential ticket during the meeting.

She described Amaechi’s declaration as a consultative engagement with his geopolitical zone, in line with party tradition and due process.

“However, consultation must not be misconstrued as endorsement. Engagement does not amount to adoption,” Wayas said, stressing that the purpose of the meeting was to consolidate unity and strengthen the party’s base rather than to back any aspirant.

Wayas added that former Cross River State Governor, Liyel Imoke, also reiterated the South-South chapter’s commitment to cohesion and strategic growth, emphasizing that the objective remains the stability and expansion of the ADC at both regional and national levels.

“For the avoidance of doubt, no candidate was endorsed at the meeting. At no point before, during, or after the gathering was any motion introduced, resolution passed, vote conducted, or consensus reached in support of any aspirant,” she stated.

She further dismissed claims that party elders acted outside established procedures, describing such suggestions as unfounded.

Wayas noted that leaders such as former Edo State Governor, John Odigie-Oyegun, have longstanding records of respect for due process and institutional order, making allegations of procedural breaches implausible.

She reaffirmed the ADC’s commitment to internal democracy, stressing that the power to nominate and elect candidates rests with constitutionally recognised organs of the party and its members, not with a handful of leaders at a zonal consultation.

The meeting, she said, ended with a shared resolve among South-South leaders to continue working together to build a stronger and more united ADC capable of advancing its vision across the country.