Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has emerged as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, for the 2027 general election after recording a landslide victory in the party’s nationwide direct primary election.
The results, announced Wednesday night at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Abuja, showed Atiku overwhelmingly defeated former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi and former banker Mohammed Hayatu-Deen in the keenly watched contest.
According to the official figures released by the party leadership led by David Mark, Atiku polled 1,846,370 votes to defeat Amaechi, who secured 504,117 votes, while Hayatu-Deen garnered 177,120 votes.
The result means Atiku defeated Amaechi by a staggering margin of 1,342,253 votes and outpolled Hayatu-Deen by 1,669,250 votes in the primary conducted across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Following the announcement, Senator David Mark formally presented the ADC flag to Atiku amid loud cheers from party supporters and delegates at the venue.
The ADC had adopted the direct primary option after all three aspirants rejected pressure to step down in favour of a consensus arrangement. The party initially considered an affirmation process before eventually settling for a nationwide ballot in line with the Electoral Act 2026.
In his acceptance speech, Atiku called for unity within the party, urging aggrieved members and fellow aspirants to put the contest behind them and work together ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
“I appeal to all those who feel aggrieved to come back to our party and close ranks with the rest of us,” he said.
The former Vice President specifically invited Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen to join what he described as a broader mission to rescue Nigeria’s democracy and economy.
“As I said previously, there are no winners and no losers. Our people look up to us for leadership, and I am ready to lead,” Atiku declared.
He promised to work closely with party stakeholders to strengthen the ADC ahead of the general election, while outlining plans to tackle insecurity, revive the economy, improve healthcare, and expand access to education.
Atiku also criticised the state of the nation, alleging that democracy was under pressure and opposition politics faced intimidation and interference.
“We have to prepare and play hard to win the next general elections to begin the difficult process of rescuing our country and its long-suffering people,” he stated.
However, the exercise was not without controversy, as both Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen reportedly rejected the outcome, alleging irregularities and manipulation in the voting process. Hayatu-Deen had earlier announced he would boycott the official declaration of results.
Despite the protests, the ADC leadership maintained that the primary was transparent, democratic, and credible, insisting the party was now united and ready for the 2027 electoral battle.
