Atiku has defeated Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen to emerge ADC Presidential Candidate for 2027 election.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that 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 former banker, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, in the party’s primary election.
The result was announced on Wednesday night at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Abuja, where the party leadership led by David Mark formally presented the party flag to Atiku following his victory.
According to the official results released 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 total votes cast stood at 2,546,457, while total party membership eligible for the exercise was put at 3,113,599.
A breakdown of the results showed that Atiku defeated Amaechi by 1,342,253 votes and Hayatu-Deen by 1,669,250 votes. Amaechi also finished ahead of Hayatu-Deen with a margin of 327,003 votes.
The ADC presidential primary process commenced on Monday, May 25, 2026, with party members across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory participating through the direct primary system.
The party had initially considered adopting a consensus arrangement and affirmation process. However, the three aspirants declined calls to step down, prompting the party to adopt direct primaries in line with the Electoral Act 2026.
Speaking after his emergence, Atiku called on aggrieved aspirants and party members to unite ahead of the 2027 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 specifically appealed to Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen to join him in what he described as a broader mission to rescue Nigeria’s democracy.
“In particular, I invite Chief Rotimi Amaechi and Alhaji Mohammed Hayatu-Deen to join me in this fight to save our democracy and our country,” Atiku stated.
He stressed that the primary election should not divide the party, insisting that there were “no winners and no losers” in the contest.
“Our people look up to us for leadership and I am ready to lead,” he added.
Atiku further pledged to work with 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.
However, both Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen reportedly rejected the outcome of the exercise, alleging manipulation and irregularities in the voting process. Hayatu-Deen had earlier disclosed that he would not attend the official declaration of results.
During his acceptance speech, Atiku accused the ruling government of allegedly attempting to weaken opposition politics in the country but insisted that democracy remained alive within the ADC.
“We have to prepare and work hard to win the next general elections in order to begin the difficult process of rescuing our country and its long-suffering people,” he said.
The ADC candidate also outlined his priorities ahead of the election, including security reform, economic recovery, healthcare improvement, and expanded access to education.
Atiku promised to strengthen security agencies, improve primary healthcare systems, tackle economic hardship, and provide free and compulsory basic education if elected president in 2027.
He added that the ADC would focus on what he described as “renewed action” to reposition the country and improve the lives of Nigerians.
