The battle for the presidential ticket of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) intensified on Monday as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, and businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen faced off in the party’s nationwide direct primary.
The opposition party conducted voting simultaneously across 8,809 wards nationwide, with members lining up behind their preferred aspirants under the Option A4 system.
The exercise is seen as a defining moment for the ADC ahead of the 2027 presidential election, as the party seeks to position itself as a leading opposition platform capable of challenging President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Atiku voted at Ajiya Ward in Jimeta, Yola, Adamawa State, while Amaechi cast his ballot in Ward 5, Ubima, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, alongside supporters. Hayatu-Deen also participated in the exercise in Borno State.
“This is democracy at work,” Atiku wrote on X after voting.
“The election taking place simultaneously in 8,809 wards in Nigeria is a major step in our quest to recover our beloved country and set it on the path of prosperity,” he added.
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 realignment aimed at unseating the APC in 2027. However, Obi later moved to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) with former Kano State Governor Musa Kwankwaso.
Since then, the ADC has held consultations aimed at producing a consensus candidate, but efforts to persuade any of the aspirants to step down were unsuccessful, leading the party to adopt a direct primary system.
The party, led by former Senate President David Mark, had earlier cleared the three aspirants after a screening exercise in Abuja.
Amaechi, a former Minister of Transportation and ex-APC presidential aspirant, is relying on his grassroots network and southern support base. Atiku, a former vice president and multiple-time presidential contender, is banking on his national reach and northern influence, while Hayatu-Deen is presenting himself as a technocratic alternative focused on economic reform and governance.
The outcome of the primary is expected to shape the direction of the opposition ahead of the 2027 presidential election scheduled for February 20, 2027.
