Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has emerged as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 general election.
Atiku defeated two other contenders for the party’s ticket, former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, and economist, Mohammed Hayat-Deen.
Abdulfatai Ahmed, former Kwara State governor and Chairman of the ADC Presidential Primary Election Committee, who announced the results, said Atiku secured 1,846,370 votes out of the 2,527,977 members who participated in the primary election.
According to him, Amaechi came second with 504,117 votes, while Hayat-Deen polled 177,120 votes to place third.
He added that the party’s total registered membership stood at 3,113,599.
With the victory, Atiku is set for another presidential contest against incumbent President Bola Tinubu, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), alongside candidates from other opposition parties.
BusinessDay reports that the ADC adopted the direct primary option for the emergence of its 2027 presidential candidate after efforts to secure a consensus arrangement among the party’s three aspirants failed.
The decision paved the way for primary elections across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), on Monday with results collated and announced at the Transcorp Hilton Abuja on Wednesday night.
The party’s leadership had earlier assured members and observers that the exercise would be free, fair and transparent.
However, both Amaechi and Hayat-Deen rejected the outcome even before the official declaration of the results. Hayat-Deen had earlier withdrawn from the race, alleging manipulation of the process.
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