Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has emerged as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress ahead of the 2027 general election after securing victory in the party’s primary election.
The result was announced on Wednesday night at the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton in Abuja, where party leaders and delegates gathered for the conclusion of the exercise.
Atiku defeated former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi and former banker Mohammed Hayatu Deen to clinch the party’s ticket in a keenly contested primary.
Following the announcement of the result, the leadership of the African Democratic Congress, under the direction of Senator David Mark, officially presented the party’s flag to Atiku as the party’s standard bearer for the 2027 presidential race.
According to the figures released at the venue, Atiku secured 1,846,370 votes to emerge winner of the contest. Amaechi polled 504,117 votes, while Hayatu Deen received 177,120 votes.
The total votes cast in the primary stood at 2,546,457, while the party recorded 3,113,599 eligible members for the election exercise.
A further breakdown of the result showed that Atiku defeated Amaechi with a margin of 1,342,253 votes. He also led Hayatu Deen by 1,669,250 votes, while Amaechi maintained a lead of 327,003 votes over Hayatu Deen.
The African Democratic Congress began its presidential primary process on Monday, May 25, 2026, with members of the party across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory participating in the exercise.
