Atiku emerges ADC presidential candidate as disputes over primary results persist

Politics

ABUJA, Nigeria (NPA) — Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has emerged as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 general election following the party’s presidential primary election.

The party announced Atiku’s victory in a statement issued on Wednesday, declaring him the ADC flag bearer for the 2027 presidential contest.

According to the party, Atiku polled 1,855,787 votes to defeat former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, who secured 509,397 votes, while businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen garnered 180,903 votes.

The ADC disclosed that a total of 2,546,457 votes were cast during the exercise out of the party’s 3,113,599 registered members nationwide.

The party adopted a direct primary system conducted across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, allowing members to participate directly in the selection process.

In its declaration, the ADC congratulated Atiku on his victory and described him as the party’s presidential ticket holder ahead of the 2027 election.

Atiku’s emergence now sets the stage for what is expected to be another major political contest with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who recently secured the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

However, the outcome of the ADC primary has already generated controversy within the party, with Amaechi rejecting the results and alleging widespread irregularities during the exercise.

“Following reports of widespread voter disenfranchisement in most parts of the country during the African Democratic Congress Presidential Primaries yesterday, I unequivocally reject the concocted results being announced,” Amaechi said in a statement.

The former Rivers State governor maintained that he would only accept the outcome of a process that was free, fair, and transparent.

“I will not accept results from a process that does not reflect the values that the ADC had pledged to uphold,” he stated.

Amaechi further accused the party leadership of undermining the democratic ideals it claimed to represent in its bid to challenge the ruling party.

Similarly, Hayatu-Deen distanced himself from the outcome of the election and disclosed that he would not attend the official announcement of the results.

“I will not be attending the announcement of the ADC Presidential Election Results today,” Hayatu-Deen stated.

“I am concerned by reports from across the country of widespread vote rigging, some of which I myself observed, and will therefore be taking advice on my next steps,” he added.

The controversy surrounding the exercise comes amid recent political realignments within the opposition camp ahead of the 2027 elections.

Former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, and former Kano State governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, had earlier exited the ADC, reportedly citing concerns over the party’s internal processes and disagreements surrounding the conduct of the presidential primaries.