By Hadiza Mohammed, Northern Operation
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has emerged as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 general election, setting the stage for another major political contest against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Four days earlier, President Tinubu had secured a landslide victory in the presidential primary of the ruling APC, overwhelmingly defeating his sole challenger, businessman Stanley Osifo, in the nationwide direct primary conducted across the nation’s 8,809 wards.
The results, as announced last Sunday by the returning officer of the APC Presidential Primary Election, Pius Anyim, in Abuja, showed the incumbent president winning the contest across virtually all states of the federation.
Mr Tinubu polled a total of 10,999, 162 votes, while Mr Osifo secured only 16,503 votes nationwide, in some cases recording zero or negligible votes in several states.
Of the total number of 12,643,306 registered voters in the party, 11,069,756 members were accredited for the exercise, while 11,015,665 eventually cast their votes during the nationwide direct presidential primary.
For Atiku, however, he was declared winner of the ADC presidential primary late Wednesday night in Abuja after a two-day collation process conducted by the party’s Presidential Primary Electoral Committee
Announcing the results, the returning officer for the exercise, Tunde Ogbeha, said Atiku secured 1,846,370 votes to defeat his closest challengers, former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, who polled 504,117 votes, and economist Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, who garnered 177,120 votes.
The outcome, however, was immediately rejected by both Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen, who raised concerns over aspects of the collation process.
Atiku’s emergence marks his fourth appearance on Nigeria’s presidential ballot and his seventh attempt overall to become the country’s president, making him one of the most persistent presidential contenders in the nation’s democratic history.
The former vice president first contested the presidency in 2007 under the Action Congress before flying the flag of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 and 2023 elections. He had also participated unsuccessfully in the 1993 Social Democratic Party presidential primaries and the PDP primaries in 2011 and 2015.
Party officials said Atiku won in 30 states during the direct primary election, with delegates across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory overwhelmingly backing his candidacy.
The ADC described the exercise as one of its most competitive presidential primaries in recent years, noting that the process reflected growing interest in the opposition coalition ahead of the next election cycle.
Speaking during his acceptance speech, Atiku described his emergence as a humbling honour and commended the ADC leadership for conducting what he termed a free, fair and transparent democratic process.
He said the coalition within the ADC was built on sacrifices and compromises aimed at protecting democracy and providing Nigerians with a credible alternative ahead of the 2027 election.
“At this moment, virtually all opposition political parties in the country are battling leadership crises allegedly engineered by the APC government, INEC and elements within the judiciary,” Atiku alleged.
The former vice president accused the ruling APC-led government of using anti-corruption agencies and security institutions to intimidate opposition figures.
“Once a politician joins the APC, the harassment stops, and the charges against them magically disappear. This abuse of power must stop,” he said.
Atiku also condemned the continued detention of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, describing it as evidence of growing political intolerance in the country.
According to him, El-Rufai had remained in detention for three months despite court orders granting him bail.
“This kind of cruelty must stop,” Atiku stated.
Outlining his vision for the country, the ADC presidential candidate promised to prioritise security, education, healthcare and economic reforms if elected president in 2027.
He pledged to strengthen the armed forces, tackle unemployment and poverty, restore investor confidence and implement policies aimed at improving the living standards of Nigerians.
Atiku also extended an olive branch to his co-contestants, urging Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen to work with him ahead of the general election.
“There are no winners and no losers in this contest. We must remain united for the greater mission of rescuing Nigeria,” he said.
Meanwhile, ADC National Chairman and former Senate President David Mark appealed to aggrieved aspirants to remain committed to the party despite concerns raised over the conduct of the primary.
Speaking during the official declaration ceremony at the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton in Abuja, Mark admitted that the exercise was not flawless but insisted the shortcomings recorded were not enough to invalidate the process.
“I do not claim that what we have done is perfect. I admit that there is room for improvement. However, I do not think that the observable shortcomings are sufficient to invalidate the exercise or to discredit the entire process,” Mark said.
He commended all three aspirants for participating in what he described as a transparent and genuinely competitive primary election.
“We did not work towards a predetermined outcome. We allowed a free contest. We allowed our members across Nigeria to make their choice,” he added.
Mark further urged Atiku to begin immediate reconciliation efforts within the party while appealing to Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen to put the party’s collective interest above personal ambition.
“It can only be one of you who would fly the flag of our party. Today, all of us have won, but we must remember that the larger mission remains greater than individual ambition,” he stated.
The ADC chairman said Nigerians were eager to see whether opposition parties could rise above division and personal interests to offer credible leadership capable of addressing insecurity, economic hardship and social discontent.
The event formally concluded with the presentation of Atiku Abubakar as the ADC presidential candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
