Breaking: Atiku crushes Amaechi, Hayatu-Deen to clinch ADC presidential ticket

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has emerged as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 general election after defeating former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and former banker, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, in the party’s presidential primary.

The result of the exercise was announced on Wednesday night in a statement.

According to the party, Atiku secured a total of 1,855,787 votes to emerge winner of the contest, while Amaechi polled 509,397 votes and Hayatu-Deen garnered 180,903 votes.

“Atiku defeats Amaechi, Hayatudeen to secure ADC Presidential Ticket,” the statement read.

“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.”

A breakdown of the figures showed that the former vice president defeated Amaechi by a margin of 1,346,390 votes, while his lead over Hayatu-Deen stood at 1,674,884 votes.

The ADC commenced its presidential primary process on Monday, May 25, 2026, with party members across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory participating in the exercise.

The party adopted the direct primary method after its three leading aspirants reportedly rejected appeals by party stakeholders to step down for a consensus candidate.

Although an affirmation process was initially considered by the party leadership, the ADC eventually opted for direct primaries in compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.