Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has emerged as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 general election.
The result was announced on Wednesday night at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Abuja, where Atiku defeated former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and former banker, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, in the party’s presidential primary.
The party leadership, headed by former Senate President David Mark, formally presented the ADC flag to Atiku after declaring him winner of the exercise.
“Atiku 1,846,370, Amaechi 504,117, Hayatudeen 177,120. Total votes cast in the election: 2,546,457. Total party membership for the election: 3,113,599,” the party announced.
A breakdown of the results showed that Atiku defeated Amaechi by 1,342,253 votes and polled 1,669,250 votes more than Hayatu-Deen. Amaechi also secured 327,003 votes above Hayatu-Deen.
The ADC presidential primary began on Monday, May 25, 2026, with party members across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory participating in the process.
The party adopted the direct primary method after all three aspirants declined calls to step down for a consensus candidate.
Speaking after his victory, Atiku appealed to aggrieved members and aspirants to unite for the task ahead.
“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 a direct invitation to Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen to join forces with him ahead of the 2027 election.
“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.
“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 stakeholders to strengthen the party 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.
Earlier in his acceptance speech, the former vice president thanked party leaders, delegates and members for their support, describing himself as “truly humbled and excited” to lead the ADC into the next election cycle.
“We constructed that while democracy is being strangled and squashed by the ruling party… democracy is alive and well in the African Democratic Congress,” he said.
However, both Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen had earlier rejected the outcome of the primary, alleging widespread irregularities and manipulation during the voting process.
Hayatu-Deen also announced that he would not attend the official declaration of the results.
