Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has emerged as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress for the 2027 general election after recording a sweeping victory in the party’s nationwide primary election.
The highly anticipated contest saw Atiku defeat former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi and former banker Mohammed Hayatu-Deen in what became one of the most closely watched opposition primaries ahead of the next presidential race in Nigeria.
According to the final results announced by the party on Wednesday night, Atiku secured a massive 1,855,787 votes to clinch the ADC presidential ticket. Amaechi finished second with 509,397 votes, while Hayatu-Deen polled 180,903 votes. The total votes cast stood at 2,546,457 from a registered party membership of more than three million participants in the exercise. ..READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE .
The outcome confirms Atiku’s dominance within the newly strengthened ADC coalition, which has recently attracted several opposition figures seeking a united front ahead of the 2027 presidential election. The direct primary election was conducted across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory after efforts to adopt a consensus candidate reportedly failed.
Before the primary, Amaechi had publicly expressed confidence that he could defeat Atiku and emerge as the party’s flagbearer, arguing that the former vice president had repeatedly won primaries without translating them into victories at the national polls. However, the final results showed Atiku enjoying overwhelming support among party members across several states.
Reports from different collation centres during the voting process indicated that Atiku maintained an early lead in multiple states, including Kebbi, Anambra, Abia, Ekiti and Imo, where he defeated both Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen by wide margins.
Political observers believe the victory further strengthens Atiku’s position as one of the leading opposition figures preparing to challenge President Bola Tinubu and the ruling APC in the 2027 presidential election. The emergence of Atiku as ADC candidate is also expected to intensify political realignments within opposition circles in the coming months as parties begin strategic negotiations and coalition talks ahead of the polls.
