Politics
Atiku Defeats Amaechi, Hayatu-Deen To Clinch ADC Presidential Ticket For 2027, Vows To Resist Tinubu Government ‘Interference’
The result of the keenly contested primary election was officially announced on Wednesday night through a statement published on the ADC’s official X account.
Abuja, Nigeria– Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has emerged as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress for the 2027 general election after defeating former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and businessman, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, in the party’s presidential primary election.
The result of the keenly contested primary election was officially announced on Wednesday night through a statement published on the ADC’s official X account.
According to the statement, Atiku secured a landslide victory with a total of 1,855,787 votes to defeat Amaechi, who polled 509,397 votes, while Hayatu-Deen garnered 180,903 votes.
The party disclosed that a total of 2,546,457 votes were cast in the election out of a total membership strength of 3,113,599 eligible voters.
“Atiku defeats Amaechi, Hayatudeen to secure ADC Presidential Ticket.
“Final result: Atiku 1,855,787, Amaechi 509,397, Hayatudeen 180,903. Total votes cast in the election: 2,546,457. Total party membership for the election: 3,113,599. Congratulations to Waziri Atiku,” the statement read.
The final tally showed Atiku maintaining a commanding lead throughout the exercise, defeating Amaechi with a margin of 1,346,390 votes and Hayatu-Deen with a margin of 1,674,884 votes to officially emerge as the ADC’s standard-bearer for the next presidential election.
Speaking shortly after his victory at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, Atiku described his emergence as the beginning of what he called a national rescue mission, while urging members of the coalition and defeated aspirants to unite ahead of the 2027 election.
“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 declared.
The former Vice President accused the ruling All Progressives Congress government of orchestrating crises within opposition political parties through the alleged involvement of security agencies, the Independent National Electoral Commission and elements within the judiciary.
“As I speak, virtually all opposition political parties in the country have leadership crisis engineered by the APC government, the INEC and elements in the judiciary,” he alleged.
Atiku also condemned the continued detention of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, describing it as part of what he called a growing crackdown against opposition figures in the country.
“All because he is a leading opposition figure. This kind of cruelty must stop,” he said.
The ADC presidential candidate further accused anti-corruption agencies of allegedly being used as political weapons to intimidate and coerce opposition politicians into defecting to the ruling APC.
“Under this government, once a person joins the APC, the harassment ceases and the charges against them magically disappear,” Atiku alleged.
He also warned against what he described as continued interference in the affairs of the ADC by the Presidency, INEC and the judiciary.
“Enough is enough,” he declared, warning that any further attempt to undermine the opposition coalition would be “fiercely resisted.”
Despite the tense political atmosphere surrounding the primary election, Atiku appealed for unity within the coalition, insisting that internal divisions could weaken the opposition ahead of the general election.
“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.
He specifically called on Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen to join hands with him in what he described as a battle to save Nigeria’s democracy.
“In particular, I invite Chief Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and Alhaji Mohammed Hayatu-Deen to join me in this fight to save our democracy and our country,” Atiku added.
On insecurity, the former Vice President accused the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of failing to effectively address the worsening security crisis across the country, including attacks on communities and killings of military personnel.
“Every region of this country is gripped by insecurity, the worst kind in our history,” he said.
Atiku promised that an ADC-led government would strengthen the armed forces, police and intelligence agencies through mass recruitment, improved welfare packages, better training and the provision of modern equipment.
He also criticised the economic policies of the current administration, insisting that official claims of economic growth do not reflect the hardship being experienced by ordinary Nigerians.
“The poverty gripping our people is at a level that we have never seen in our history,” he stated.
The ADC candidate further faulted the government’s handling of fuel subsidy removal and rising debt profile, alleging that public loans were being diverted through questionable contracts awarded without due process.
“The future of our younger generation is being mortgaged with no accountability,” Atiku declared.
On education, Atiku lamented the increasing number of out-of-school children in the country, claiming that more than 20 million school-age children are currently out of school under the APC administration.
He promised to introduce free and compulsory education at both primary and secondary school levels if elected president in 2027.
“This cannot be tolerated in the modern world where education is the surest path to decent employment, wealth creation, national development and enlightened citizenry,” he said.
The former Vice President also accused the Federal Government of neglecting the healthcare sector, claiming that the Ministry of Health received only N30 million for capital expenditure in the previous fiscal year.
“This is clearly a government that doesn’t care about the health of our people,” he alleged, while promising significant investments in primary healthcare and specialist medical facilities across the country.
Drawing a sharp contrast between the APC government’s “Renewed Hope” agenda and the ADC’s proposed direction, Atiku said Nigerians deserve practical governance and decisive leadership rather than political slogans.
“Where the APC government offers meaningless renewed hope, we will provide renewed action to repair the damage that they have done to our economy and society in the last twelve years of misrule,” he said.
