Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has emerged as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 general election.
The party announced that Atiku secured 1,846,370 votes in the presidential primary to defeat his closest rival, former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi, who polled 504,117 votes. Businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen came third with 177,120 votes.
In his acceptance speech, Atiku praised the ADC for conducting what he described as a democratic and transparent process, insisting that democracy remains alive within the party despite challenges facing opposition politics in Nigeria.
“We demonstrated that while democracy is being strangled and suppressed by the ruling party and its operatives, democracy is alive and well in the African Democratic Congress,” he said.
National Chairman of the party, Senator David Mark, said the ADC provided a level playing field for all aspirants and allowed members to freely choose their preferred candidate.
According to him, although the exercise was not perfect, there was room for improvement.
“Each of the aspirants is qualified to lead this country, but only one person can emerge as the party’s flag bearer,” Mark stated.
The contest for the party’s presidential ticket intensified on Monday as Atiku, Amaechi, and Hayatu-Deen battled in the ADC’s nationwide direct primary election.
Voting was conducted across the country’s 8,809 wards using the Option A4 system, with party members openly queuing behind their preferred aspirants.
However, while Atiku commended the exercise, both Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen rejected the outcome, alleging irregularities and voter disenfranchisement.
Amaechi, a former Minister of Transportation, dismissed the result and accused the party leadership of manipulating the process.
“Following reports of widespread voter disenfranchisement in most parts of the country during the African Democratic Congress presidential primaries yesterday, I unequivocally reject the concocted results being announced,” he wrote on X.
Similarly, Hayatu-Deen said he would not attend the official announcement of the results due to alleged widespread vote rigging.
“I will not be attending the announcement of the ADC presidential election results today. I am concerned by reports from across the country of widespread vote rigging, some of which I personally observed, and will therefore be taking advice on my next steps,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
Atiku and Amaechi joined the ADC in July 2025 alongside other opposition figures, including former Anambra State governor Peter Obi, as part of a broader coalition aimed at challenging President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 election.
However, Obi later defected to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) alongside former Kano State governor Musa Kwankwaso.
Atiku, a serial presidential contender, is banking on his extensive political network and northern support base, while Hayatu-Deen positioned himself as a technocratic alternative focused on governance and economic reforms.
The outcome of the primary marks a major milestone for the ADC as it seeks to establish itself as the leading opposition platform ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
With the primary concluded, Atiku will now fly the ADC flag in the race for the presidency.
