Atiku Builds Early Lead As ADC Presidential Primaries Deliver Mixed Results Nationwide

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has taken an early lead in several states as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) conducts its nationwide presidential primary to select a flag bearer for the 2027 general election.

Atiku secured commanding victories in Zamfara, Yobe, and Gombe states according to results announced by state returning officers on Monday . In Zamfara, Atiku polled 60,500 votes to defeat fellow aspirants Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, who scored 446 votes, and former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, who managed 191 votes.

The former Vice President also triumphed in Yobe State, where he garnered 44,841 votes, while Hayatu-Deen and Amaechi scored 365 and 303 votes respectively . In Gombe State, Atiku’s victory was even more decisive, polling 139,334 votes compared to Amaechi’s 1,150 and Hayatu-Deen’s 465.

However, the results have not been entirely one-sided. In Ebonyi State, Rotimi Amaechi emerged victorious, securing 6,050 votes, while Atiku polled 1,210 votes and Hayatu-Deen received 4,840 votes. The contest has demonstrated the ADC’s commitment to internal democracy, with the party adopting a direct primary system conducted across Nigeria’s 8,809 wards using the Option A4 voting method.

Declaring Atiku the winner in Gombe, returning officer Professor David Agbu said, “From these results, Atiku scored the highest votes in the election and is hereby declared as the winner of the primary election in Gombe State, held today, May 25, 2026”.

In Zamfara, returning officer Namadi Musa declared, “Having fulfilled the ADC guidelines and the Electoral Act, 2026, and having scored the highest votes, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is hereby returned as the party’s presidential candidate in Zamfara”.

The ADC leadership, under interim National Chairman David Mark, cleared three aspirants for the contest after efforts to produce a consensus candidate failed. The party’s presidential primary is part of a broader electoral process that has already produced candidates for governorship, Senate, and House of Representatives positions.

Speaking through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, ahead of the primaries, Atiku urged delegates to prioritize competence over sentiment, saying, “At this defining moment, ADC delegates must ask themselves a simple but profound question: do we want to make a statement, or do we want to make a President?”

The ADC has faced internal challenges, with a faction of the party nominating Dumebi Kachikwu as its presidential candidate over the weekend. However, the party leadership under David Mark has dismissed this move, with National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi stating that the Supreme Court has affirmed there is only one recognized leadership of the ADC.

Chairman of the ADC Presidential Primaries Committee, Chief Ikechi Emenike, said the party is setting the pace for internal democracy, unlike other political parties where “imposition, consensus manipulation and predetermined outcomes” are prevalent.

As results continue to trickle in from across the federation, the three aspirants have committed to accepting the final outcome of the primary election.