Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Thursday visited former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi at his Abuja residence following the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary.
Atiku was accompanied by former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, former ADC National Chairman Ralph Nwosu, and other party leaders.
The visit comes amid reactions trailing the just-concluded ADC presidential primary election, in which Atiku emerged as the party’s flag bearer for the 2027 general election.
The result was announced on Wednesday night at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, with Atiku defeating Amaechi and former banker Mohammed Hayatu-Deen in the contest.
According to figures released by the party, Atiku polled 1,846,370 votes, while Amaechi secured 504,117 votes and Hayatu-Deen garnered 177,120 votes.
Following the declaration of the results, the party leadership led by former Senate President David Mark presented the ADC flag to Atiku as the party’s presidential candidate.
The ADC adopted the direct primary method after all three aspirants rejected calls for a consensus arrangement ahead of the exercise.
Speaking after his victory, Atiku appealed to aggrieved members and aspirants to unite in the interest of the party.
“I therefore 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 also specifically appealed to Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen to join hands with him ahead of the 2027 elections.
“In particular, I invite Chief Rotimi Amaechi and Alhaji Muhammad Hayatu-Deen to join me in this fight to save our democracy and our country,” Atiku stated.
He stressed that the outcome of the primary should not create divisions within the party.
“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,” he added.
Atiku further pledged to work with party stakeholders to strengthen the ADC ahead of the general election.
“I shall work with you all to continue to build our party. I will campaign with you and, if Nigeria’s leaders demand it, govern with you to build a country that works for all of us,” he said.
However, both Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen reportedly rejected the outcome of the primary, citing alleged irregularities in the voting process. Hayatu-Deen also declined to attend the official announcement of the results.
As of the time of filing this report, details of the closed-door meeting between Atiku and Amaechi had not been disclosed.
