May 28 (THEWILL) — Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has emerged winner of the presidential primary election of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 general elections, defeating former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and economist Mohammed Hayatu-Deen in a fiercely contested nationwide exercise now overshadowed by a deepening internal crisis within the opposition party.
THEWILL reports that Atiku polled a total of 1,846,370 votes to clinch the party’s presidential ticket, while Amaechi secured 504,117 votes and Hayatu-Deen garnered 177,120 votes.
The results were officially announced on Wednesday in Abuja following the conclusion of collation from the nationwide direct primary election conducted across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Chairman of the Presidential Primary Election Committee, Chief Ikechi Emenike, disclosed that 2,527,977 registered members of the party participated in the exercise.
Emenike stated that the figures announced were authentic results submitted by duly accredited party chairmen and electoral officers deployed to supervise the election across the federation.
The Chief Returning Officer, Senator Tunde Ogbeha, subsequently declared Atiku winner of the presidential primary election and returned him as the ADC presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
THEWILL earlier reported that the presidential primary suffered a dramatic interruption on Tuesday night after the party suspended collation of results at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, following the announcement of results from 25 states.
The exercise, which was halted at about 11:50 p.m., resumed on Wednesday amid rising tension, accusations of manipulation and growing distrust among supporters of the leading aspirants.
Before the final declaration of results, both Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen had openly rejected the conduct of the primary election, alleging widespread irregularities, voter disenfranchisement and vote rigging.
Amaechi, in had in a statement posted on his X platform, described the results being announced as “concocted” and inconsistent with democratic principles.
The former Rivers State governor alleged that a large percentage of party members were denied the opportunity to participate in the process.
“I unequivocally reject the concocted results being announced,” Amaechi declared.
He insisted that he had earlier agreed to accept the outcome of the exercise only if the process was free, fair and transparent.
“There’s no way that about eighty percent of members of the party were not allowed to vote, and you expect me to accept such results,” he said.
Amaechi further accused the ADC leadership of engaging in the same electoral practices the party had consistently condemned in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), including alleged vote buying and manipulation of results.
Similarly, Hayatu-Deen distanced himself from the concluding stage of the primary process, including the official announcement of results, over alleged widespread vote rigging across the country.
In a statement issued before the final declaration, the businessman and former banker expressed concern over reports of manipulation from several states, saying the credibility of the process had been compromised.
“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,” Hayatu-Deen stated.
THEWILL gathered that the allegations by the two aspirants have triggered serious anxiety within the opposition coalition built around the ADC platform, with fears that the post-primary fallout could weaken ongoing efforts to unite opposition forces ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Party insiders disclosed that frantic consultations were already underway among senior ADC leaders and coalition stakeholders to prevent the crisis from escalating into a full-blown factional dispute capable of destabilising the party.
Despite the controversy trailing the exercise, Atiku, in his acceptance speech, congratulated the other contestants and commended party members for what he described as a transparent, credible and democratic primary process.
According to him, the ADC had demonstrated that democracy remained alive despite alleged intimidation and suppression of opposition parties in the country.
“At the ADC, we have shown Nigerians that democracy is still alive. People are allowed to express themselves freely, contest elections and pursue their ambitions through transparent democratic processes,” Atiku stated.
He described the ADC as a coalition of leaders united by sacrifices, compromise and a shared determination to rescue Nigeria from worsening governance challenges.
The former vice-president expressed concern over rising insecurity, economic hardship, unemployment, nepotism and political intolerance, insisting that the opposition coalition must provide a credible alternative capable of restoring hope and rebuilding public confidence in governance.
Atiku maintained that the primary election was not about winners and losers, but a collective mission to rescue Nigeria from what he described as misrule and national decline.
“There are no winners and losers. Our people look up to us for leadership, and we are ready to lead,” he said.
He appealed to aggrieved members and fellow contestants, including Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen, to put aside differences and work together in rebuilding the country’s democracy ahead of the 2027 election.
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