A combo photo of Atiku, Hayatu-Deen and Amaechi
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called for unity within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) following his emergence as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
Atiku made the appeal in a statement posted on X on Wednesday after defeating former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi and businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen in the party’s primary election.
The ADC chieftain urged the aspirants and party members to put aside differences and work together ahead of 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.
“Therefore, we have to unite, as we pledged before this process, to work to pull our country and our people out of the destructive grip of a corrupt, incompetent and polarising APC government,” Atiku said.
READ ALSO: 2027 Polls: ADC Declares Atiku Winner Of Presidential Primary
According to the ADC, Atiku secured 1,846,370 votes to defeat Amaechi, who polled 504,117 votes, while Hayatu-Deen got 177,120 votes.
The former PDP presidential candidate praised the ADC for conducting what he described as a transparent democratic process, while accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of undermining democracy and opposition politics in the country.
“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,” Atiku stated.
Accepting the outcome of the election, he thanked party members for the opportunity to lead the ADC into the next election cycle, describing the victory as a “singular honour”.
“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,” he wrote.
The former vice president also alleged that opposition parties and politicians were being targeted by the current administration through state institutions, including the judiciary and anti-corruption agencies.
“As I speak, virtually all opposition political parties in the country have leadership crises engineered by the APC government, the INEC and elements in the judiciary,” he claimed.
He also alleged that opposition figures were being harassed and intimidated, citing the case of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai.
“All because he is a leading opposition figure. This kind of cruelty must stop,” Atiku said.
The ex-vice president warned against what he described as attempts by the government and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to interfere in the affairs of the ADC.
“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 declared.
Despite Atiku’s victory, both Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen rejected the outcome of the primary election, alleging irregularities during the exercise.
Amaechi accused the party of voter disenfranchisement and rejected the announced 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 wrote on his X account.
Similarly, Hayatu-Deen said he would not attend the official announcement of the results due to alleged vote manipulation.
“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.
Atiku and Amaechi joined the ADC in July 2025 alongside other opposition figures, including former Anambra State governor Peter Obi, as part of a coalition aimed at unseating President Bola Tinubu and the APC in 2027.
However, Obi later defected to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) alongside former Kano State governor Musa Kwankwaso.
The ADC primary is seen as a major milestone for the party as it seeks to position itself as the leading opposition platform ahead of the January 2027 presidential election.
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