By Our Correspondent
National News – Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has emerged as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress ahead of the 2027 general election after defeating Rotimi Amaechi and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen in the party’s nationwide primary election held across Nigeria.
The result was announced on Wednesday night at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja, where party leaders officially presented the ADC flag to Atiku following the conclusion of the exercise.
According to the official figures released by the party, Atiku secured 1,846,370 votes to defeat Amaechi, who polled 504,117 votes, while Hayatu-Deen received 177,120 votes.
The primary election, which started on May 25, involved delegates and party members from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory through the direct primary method adopted by the party leadership.
Speaking after his victory, Atiku called for unity among party members and appealed to his opponents to work together ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
He specifically invited Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen to join what he described as a national mission to rescue Nigeria’s democracy and improve governance across the country.
The former Vice President said the ADC primary reflected internal democracy despite what he claimed were challenges facing opposition parties in Nigeria.
He stressed that the contest should not divide members, insisting there were no losers in the exercise because the party’s main goal remained winning the next general election.
Atiku also outlined key campaign priorities including security, education, healthcare and economic reforms.
He promised to strengthen security agencies, improve access to free and compulsory basic education, tackle poverty and boost healthcare services to reduce medical tourism abroad.
However, both Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen rejected the outcome of the primary, alleging irregularities and manipulation in the voting process.
Hayatu-Deen also declined to attend the official announcement of the election result.
