Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has emerged as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 general election.
He secured a decisive victory in the party’s direct primary election.
The official results were announced on Wednesday night at the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton in Abuja.
Following the declaration, the party’s leadership, led by David Mark, presented the ADC flag to Atiku as the party’s new standard-bearer.
The direct primary, which commenced on Monday, May 25, 2026, across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, saw Atiku secure an overwhelming majority of the votes cast by registered party members.
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According to the official figures released by the party, Atiku Abubakar secured 1,846,370 votes to defeat Rotimi Amaechi, who polled 504,117 votes, while Mohammed Hayatu-Deen garnered 177,120 votes.
Out of a total party membership pool of 3,113,599 eligible voters, 2,546,457 total votes were cast.
Atiku defeated his closest rival, former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi, by 1,342,253 votes, and former banker Mohammed Hayatu-Deen by 1,669,250 votes.
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The ADC leadership had initially considered a consensus or affirmation process, but was forced to deploy the direct primary method in line with the Electoral Act 2026 after all three aspirants flatly declined calls to step down for one another.
Opponents reject results.
The landslide victory has already triggered an internal rift. Both Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen rejected the final tally before the official announcement.
They alleged widespread manipulation of the voting process. In a protest move, Hayatu-Deen boycotted the Wednesday night event entirely.
Reacting to the friction in his acceptance speech, Atiku downplayed the internal rancour and extended an olive branch to his aggrieved rivals.
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He urged them to prioritise the party’s broader national mission over individual defeats.
“I therefore appeal to all those who feel aggrieved to come back to our party and close ranks with the rest of us,” Atiku stated.
“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. 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.”
Atiku lauded the ADC for preserving internal democratic processes at a time when he claimed the ruling party was actively strangling political opposition across Nigeria through intimidation and harassment.
Looking forward to the 2027 campaign, Atiku outlined the core pillars of his policy framework, targeting the country’s severe economic and social challenges.
He pledged free and compulsory basic education to combat the millions of out-of-school children nationwide.
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Atiku criticised current federal borrowing and subsidy programs, promising structural economic reforms to alleviate deepening poverty.
He vowed to strengthen local primary healthcare systems to curb medical tourism and aggressively reinforce national security agencies.
“We have to prepare and play hard to win the next general elections to begin the difficult process of rescuing our country and its long-suffering people,” Atiku said.
He promised to campaign alongside all party stakeholders to build a unified government.
