Atiku Emerges ADC Presidential Candidate for 2027 Election

Atiku Emerges ADC Presidential Candidate for 2027 Election

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has emerged as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress for the 2027 general election after defeating former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi and economist Mohammed Hayatu-Deen in the party’s presidential primary.

The result was announced on Wednesday night at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Abuja during the party’s national collation exercise.

The ADC leadership, led by former Senate President David Mark, officially presented the party flag to Atiku after declaring him winner of the contest.

According to the results announced by the party, Atiku polled 1,846,370 votes to defeat Amaechi, who secured 504,117 votes, while Hayatu-Deen garnered 177,120 votes.

The party disclosed that a total of 2,546,457 votes were cast during the primary election, while total party membership eligible for the exercise stood at 3,113,599.

A breakdown of the figures showed that Atiku defeated Amaechi by 1,342,253 votes and Hayatu-Deen by 1,669,250 votes, while Amaechi also led Hayatu-Deen by 327,003 votes.

The ADC commenced its presidential primary process on Monday, May 25, 2026, with party members across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory participating in the exercise.

The party adopted the direct primary method after all three aspirants declined calls to step down for a consensus candidate. An affirmation process had initially been considered before the direct primary option was adopted in line with the Electoral Act 2026.

Speaking after his victory, Atiku called on aggrieved aspirants and party members to unite and work together ahead of the 2027 general election.

“I therefore appeal to all those who feel aggrieved to come back to our party and close ranks with the rest of us,” he said.

The former vice president also extended an appeal to his co-contestants to join him in what he described as a broader mission to rescue the country and strengthen democracy.

“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,” Atiku stated.

He stressed that the outcome of the primary should not divide the party, insisting that internal contests should not create enemies within the ADC.

“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,” he added.

Atiku further pledged to work with all party stakeholders to strengthen the ADC ahead of the general election.

“I shall work with you all to continue to build our party. I will campaign with you and, if Nigeria’s leaders demand it, govern with you to build a country that works for all of us,” he said.

Atiku Emerges ADC Presidential Candidate for 2027 Election