Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has emerged winner of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary. The party announced that Atiku secured 1,846,370 votes to defeat his closest challenger, 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 proving that democracy remains active within the ADC despite the 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.
ADC National Chairman, Senator David Mark, stated that the party ensured a free and fair contest by allowing members to decide their preferred candidate. He admitted that the exercise was not without flaws but noted that there was room for improvement. Mark added that although all the aspirants were qualified to lead the party, only one candidate could emerge as its flag bearer. The race for the party’s presidential ticket intensified on Monday as Atiku, Amaechi, and Hayatu-Deen faced off in a nationwide direct primary election.Voting was conducted across Nigeria’s 8,809 wards using the Option A4 system, with party members openly queuing behind their preferred aspirants.
However, while Atiku commended the process, Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen rejected the outcome over alleged irregularities.Amaechi, a former Minister of Transportation, dismissed the results, alleging widespread voter disenfranchisement during the primary. “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,” he wrote on X.
Similarly, Hayatu-Deen said he would boycott the official announcement of the results over claims of vote manipulation. “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 unseating President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general election.However, Obi later defected to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) alongside former Kano State governor Musa Kwankwaso. Atiku, a multiple-time presidential contender, is banking on his extensive political network and influence in the North, while Hayatu-Deen positioned himself as a technocratic candidate focused on economic reforms and governance.
The outcome of the primary is seen as a major milestone for the ADC as it prepares for the 2027 presidential election and seeks to establish itself as the leading opposition force against President Bola Tinubu and the ruling APC.With the primary concluded, Atiku will now represent the ADC in the 2027 presidential election.
