By Gideon Maxwell
May 28, 2026
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has emerged as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress for the 2027 general election after defeating former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi and economist Mohammed Hayatu-Deen in the party’s nationwide primary election.
The ADC announced the final results on Wednesday night after days of collation from across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
According to figures released by the party, Atiku secured over 1.8 million votes to emerge victorious by a wide margin over his closest challenger, Amaechi, while Hayatu-Deen finished third.
The primary election, conducted through the direct voting method, followed weeks of intense consultations within the opposition coalition seeking to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress in the next presidential election.
In his acceptance speech shortly after his declaration, Atiku described his emergence as a defining moment for opposition politics in Nigeria, saying the ADC had demonstrated that democracy could still thrive despite what he called growing intimidation of opposition figures.
“I wish to express my profound appreciation for the privilege, which you have bestowed on me, of leading our great party, the African Democratic Congress, into the next elections as its Presidential Candidate. I am truly humbled and excited by this singular honour,” Atiku said.
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“We demonstrated that while democracy is being strangled and squashed by the ruling party and its oppressive and anti-democratic government, democracy is alive and well in the African Democratic Congress. In our party, members are allowed to express their views, to have ambitions and to contest for elective positions in a free, fair and transparent process.”
The former vice president said the coalition behind the ADC was formed through “immense sacrifices and compromises” aimed at rescuing Nigeria’s democracy from what he termed its gravest threat since 1999.
He accused the APC government of allegedly engineering crises within opposition parties through the involvement of security agencies, the electoral commission and judicial actors.
“As I speak, virtually all opposition political parties in the country have leadership crisis engineered by the APC government, the INEC and elements in the judiciary,” he stated.
Atiku also referenced the detention of Nasir El-Rufai, alleging that the former Kaduna governor had remained in custody for three months despite court orders granting him bail.
“All because he is a leading opposition figure. This kind of cruelty must stop,” he added.
The ADC candidate further alleged that opposition politicians were being pressured into joining the APC through intimidation and anti-corruption investigations.
“Under this government, once a person joins the APC, the harassment ceases and the charges against them magically disappear. This abuse of power must stop,” he declared.
Atiku warned against any move to interfere with the affairs of the ADC, insisting the party would resist any attempt to undermine its operations.
“Let me warn that any further attempt to interfere in the affairs of the party by the Presidency, INEC and judiciary will be fiercely resisted. Enough is enough,” he said.
The former vice president urged party members to remain united after the primaries, stressing that the focus should now shift to defeating the APC in the 2027 elections.
“I must state at this juncture that this is not the time to celebrate. No one was defeated because we are one party and we all need to recognise the fierce urgency of the moment,” he said.
He specifically appealed to Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen to join hands with him in building the party ahead of the elections.
“In particular, I invite Chief Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and Alhaji Mohammed Hayatu-Deen to join me in this fight to save our democracy and our country,” Atiku stated.
Outlining his policy direction, Atiku said an ADC government under his leadership would prioritise security, education, healthcare, economic reforms and restructuring of power sharing among the constituent units of the federation.
On insecurity, he said the country was facing “the worst kind in our history,” promising massive recruitment into the armed forces and improved coordination among security agencies.
“An ADC government under my leadership will take decisive action to address insecurity and protect lives and property in the country,” he said.
On education, Atiku pledged to implement free and compulsory primary and secondary education, while promising investment in innovation and entrepreneurial skills for young Nigerians.
“Under the watch of this APC government over 20 million of our school-age children are not in school. This cannot be tolerated,” he stated.
The ADC flagbearer also criticised the economic policies of the current administration, particularly fuel subsidy removal and increasing public debt.
“The savings from subsidy removal has not been accounted for and the economic hardship resulting from the action has been unbearable,” he said.
“To make matters worse, borrowing has become the cornerstone of the economic policy of the APC government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
Atiku further accused the government of failing the healthcare sector, citing what he described as poor capital allocation to the Federal Ministry of Health.
“Our ADC government will prioritise healthcare, with emphasis on prevention. Therefore, we will make massive investments in primary healthcare,” he added.
His emergence comes amid fractures within the broader opposition coalition, following the exit of key political figures including Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso from the ADC alliance earlier this month over internal disagreements.
Meanwhile, Amaechi has rejected the outcome of the primary, alleging widespread irregularities and disenfranchisement during the exercise.
