Keypoints
- Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has emerged winner of the presidential primary election of the African Democratic Congress.
- Atiku polled 1,846,370 votes to defeat Rotimi Amaechi and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.
- Results were announced on Wednesday in Abuja after the collation of votes from the nationwide exercise.
- Election organizers stated that 2,527,977 registered members of the party participated in the process.
- Party leadership declared the primary election was transparent and credible despite alleged opposition intimidation.
Main Story
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has emerged winner of the presidential primary election of the African Democratic Congress ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Atiku polled 1,846,370 votes to defeat Rotimi Amaechi, who scored 504,117 votes, while Mohammed Hayatu-Deen secured 177,120 votes.
The results were announced on Wednesday in Abuja after the collation of votes from the nationwide presidential primary election conducted by the party.
Chairman of the Presidential Primary Election Committee, Chief Ikechi Emenike, said 2,527,977 registered members of the party participated in the exercise.
Emenike said the figures announced were results submitted by authentic party chairmen deployed to supervise the election in various states.
The Chief Returning Officer, Sen. Tunde Ogbeha, subsequently declared Atiku winner of the presidential primary election conducted across the federation.
In his acceptance speech, Abubakar congratulated other contestants and commended party members for what he described as a transparent and credible primary election process.
He said the ADC had demonstrated that democracy remained alive despite alleged intimidation and suppression of opposition parties in the country.
According to him, party members were allowed to freely express opinions, pursue ambitions and contest elective positions through transparent and credible democratic processes.
The Issues
- Uniting party members and aggrieved contestants following the conclusion of the nationwide primary voting.
- Confronting national challenges including worsening insecurity, economic hardship, nepotism, and political intolerance.
- Mobilizing registered party structures across various states ahead of the 2027 general elections.
What’s Being Said
- Reassuring participants that the outcome represented a unified democratic effort rather than an individual triumph, Atiku Abubakar stated: “There are no winners and losers. Our people look up to us for leadership, and we are ready to lead,”
- Describing the foundational nature of the political party as a unified assembly of national figures, Abubakar described the ADC “as a coalition of leaders united by sacrifices and compromises aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s democracy.”
- Outlining his primary worry regarding the current state of governance across the federation, he “expressed concern over worsening insecurity, economic hardship, nepotism and political intolerance in the country.”
- Framing the core purpose of his ongoing political movement, the former vice-president “said the primary election was not about winners and losers, but a collective effort to rescue Nigeria from misrule.”
- Calling on his direct opponents from the ballot to join his campaign to fix national institutions, he “appealed to aggrieved members and fellow contestants, including Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen, to work together in rebuilding the country’s democracy.”
- Detailing his long-term organizational commitment to the political platform, he “pledged to work with party leaders and members to strengthen the ADC and provide leadership capable of rebuilding the country for future generations.”
What’s Next
- Atiku Abubakar will work with party leaders to strengthen the ADC platform ahead of the national campaign.
- Party structures will focus on uniting members and supporters before the 2027 general elections.
- Party leadership will reach out to aggrieved contestants to encourage collaborative efforts in rebuilding democracy.
Bottom Line
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar clinched the ADC presidential ticket for the 2027 elections by polling over 1.8 million votes in a nationwide primary, subsequently calling on his defeated opponents, Rotimi Amaechi and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, to unite with him to rescue the country from misrule.
