FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar has emerged as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) after winning the party’s controversial presidential primary.
The party on Wednesday, May 27, announced that Abubakar polled 1,846,370 votes to defeat his closest challenger, former Rivers State governor and ex-Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, who secured 504,117 votes.
Businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen came third with 177,120 votes.
Abubakar’s 1.8 million votes in the primary immediately sparked comparisons with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate and incumbent President Bola Tinubu’s controversial 10.9 million-vote haul during the party’s presidential primary last weekend.
The ICIR reports that the figure drew widespread public skepticism and criticism from opposition parties, with many claiming it was a manufactured number.
Protest by Amaechi, Hayatu-Deen
Abubakar’s victory, however, came amid protests by Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen, who had rejected the exercise over alleged rigging and widespread voter disenfranchisement.
Amaechi, in a statement posted on his X handle on Tuesday, May 26, described the process as neither free nor transparent and rejected what he called “concocted results.”
“Following reports of widespread voter disenfranchisement in most parts of the country during the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primaries yesterday, I unequivocally reject the concocted results being announced,” he said.
The former minister alleged that nearly 80 per cent of party members were prevented from voting during the exercise.
“There’s no way that about eighty per cent of members of the party were not allowed to vote, and you expect me to accept such results,” he added.
Amaechi further argued that the ADC could not accuse the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of electoral malpractice while allegedly engaging in similar conduct.
Hayatu-Deen also distanced himself from the process, saying he would not attend the official announcement of the results due to concerns over alleged irregularities.
I will not be attending the announcement of the ADC presidential election results today. I am concerned by reports from across the country of widespread vote rigging, some of which I myself observed, and will therefore be taking advice on my next steps,” he said.
Abubakar’s victory
Announcing the final results on Wednesday, the National Chairman of the ADC, David Mark, said the party allowed a free contest and gave members the opportunity to choose their preferred candidate.
According to him, although the exercise was not perfect, there was room for improvement.
Mark noted that all the aspirants were qualified to lead the country, but only one person could emerge as the party’s presidential flagbearer.
In a post on X shortly after his victory was announced, Abubakar thanked party members for entrusting him with the ADC ticket and described the coalition behind the party as a movement formed to ‘rescue’ Nigeria’s democracy.
He accused the APC-led Federal Government of undermining opposition parties through intimidation, coercion and the use of state institutions.
The former vice president also alleged that opposition politicians were being harassed and cited the detention of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai despite court orders granting him bail.
Abubakar further warned against what he described as attempts by the Presidency, INEC and the judiciary to interfere in the affairs of the ADC.
He congratulated Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen for participating in the exercise and called for unity within the party ahead of the 2027 polls.
“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.
Also, in an interview with journalists after the exercise, the former vicee president said he would personally reach out to his opponents.
“I will personally visit my own competitors, Rotimi Amaechi and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, and appeal to them to come onboard,” he said.
The ICIR reports that the dispute adds to the internal challenges that have trailed the opposition coalition built around the ADC ahead of the 2027 elections.
The coalition had attracted several opposition figures, including former Anambra State governor Peter Obi and former Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, before both politicians later exited the platform for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) amid internal disagreements and legal disputes.
As it stands, Abubakar, who seeks Nigeria’s most exalted political seat for the seventh time, will be competing with Tinubu and others in the election slated for January 16, 2027.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M