ADC faces crisis as Oyefusi alleges Lagos primary fraud, claiming votes were diverted to Rhodes-Vivour in controversial governorship contest
A fresh political crisis has erupted within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) following allegations by governorship aspirant Princess Islamiyat Abiodun Oyefusi that the party manipulated the outcome of its Lagos State governorship primary in favour of fellow aspirant Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour.
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Oyefusi, through her legal representatives Platinum & Taylor Hill LP, alleged that she won the party’s direct primary held on May 22, 2026, after securing the majority of valid votes cast by party members across Lagos State.
The legal firm, however, accused the party of what it described as a “deliberate and coordinated act of electoral fraud,” claiming that the ADC unlawfully removed votes credited to Oyefusi and reassigned them to Rhodes-Vivour, who was later declared winner of the contest.
According to the statement issued by her lawyers, the alleged manipulation was not a clerical error or administrative oversight but a calculated effort to alter the outcome of the election.
The firm further alleged that a petition had been secretly filed against Oyefusi before the primaries without her knowledge, adding that she was neither served nor given the opportunity to defend herself before a screening committee reportedly recommended her exclusion from the process.
Despite the alleged irregularities, the legal representatives maintained that Oyefusi participated in the primary and emerged victorious based on the original vote count.
They also accused the ADC leadership of ignoring repeated demands to recognise what they described as the authentic results of the exercise, insisting that Rhodes-Vivour was wrongfully imposed as the party’s governorship candidate.
Consequently, the legal team confirmed that proceedings have commenced at the Federal High Court, seeking declaratory and injunctive reliefs over what they termed constitutional, electoral and procedural breaches within the party’s nomination process.
The lawyers urged the ADC National Working Committee to immediately recognise Oyefusi as the lawful winner of the primary election and called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to reject any nomination that did not emerge from what they described as a transparent and lawful process.
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They further challenged Rhodes-Vivour to publicly distance himself from the candidacy, insisting that documentary evidence exists to support their claim that Oyefusi won the primary.
David Okere is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering business, governance, public affairs, and human-interest stories with a commitment to accuracy, balance, and public interest reporting.
