Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has emerged as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 general election after winning the party’s nationwide direct primary.
Gatekeepers News reports that the ADC announced that Atiku secured 1,846,370 votes to defeat his closest challenger and 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 party for conducting what he described as a democratic process despite the challenges confronting opposition politics in the country.
“We demonstrated that while democracy is being strangled and squashed by the ruling party and its operatives, democracy is alive and well in the African Democratic Congress,” he said.
ADC National Chairman, Senator David Mark, said the party ensured a free and fair contest that allowed members to choose their preferred candidate.
According to him, although the exercise was not perfect, the party would continue to improve its internal democratic processes.
Mark noted that all the aspirants were qualified to lead the country but only one candidate could emerge as the party’s flag bearer.
The contest for the party’s presidential ticket intensified on Monday as Atiku, Amaechi, and Hayatu-Deen participated in the nationwide direct primary election conducted across Nigeria’s 8,809 wards.
Party members voted using the Option A4 system, openly queuing behind their preferred aspirants.
However, while Atiku commended the process, both Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen rejected the outcome, alleging irregularities and voter disenfranchisement.
Amaechi, a former Minister of Transportation, dismissed the announced results and accused the party leadership of manipulating the exercise.
“Following reports of widespread voter disenfranchisement in most parts of the country during the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Primaries yesterday, I unequivocally reject the concocted results being announced,” Amaechi wrote on X.
Similarly, Hayatu-Deen said he would not attend the official announcement of the results because of 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 myself observed, and will therefore be taking advice on my next steps,” he stated.
Atiku and Amaechi joined the ADC in July 2025 alongside several opposition figures, including former Anambra State governor Peter Obi, as part of efforts to build a stronger opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 election.
However, Obi later defected to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) alongside former Kano State governor Musa Kwankwaso.
The outcome of the primary marks a major step in the ADC’s preparations for the 2027 presidential election as the party positions itself as a key opposition platform against President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
With the conclusion of the primary election, Atiku will represent the ADC in the 2027 presidential race.
