Atiku emerges as ADC candidate following victories over Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen

Atiku Abubakar has emerged as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress for the 2027 elections, following a decisive win in the party's primary poll, where he overcame challenges from ex-Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi and businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.

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The former vice president secured the party's ticket with a significant margin, as confirmed by a statement released on the ADC's official X account on Wednesday night, which revealed the final results: Atiku 1,855,787, Amaechi 509,397, and Hayatu-Deen 180,903, with a total of 2,546,457 votes cast and 3,113,599 party members eligible to vote.

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The final figures showed Atiku maintaining a dominant lead throughout the contest, polling more than 1.8 million votes, while Amaechi finished in second place with 509,397 votes, and Hayatu-Deen garnered 180,903 votes, resulting in a victory margin of 1,346,390 votes ahead of Amaechi and 1,674,884 votes ahead of Hayatu-Deen.

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Atiku's victory cemented his emergence as the ADC's standard-bearer for the next presidential election, with the party's statement congratulating him, saying "Congratulations to Waziri Atiku", as he pledged to lead a national recovery effort.

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Speaking after his victory at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja late Wednesday night, Atiku appealed to aggrieved members of the coalition and defeated aspirants to unite behind the party ahead of next year's general election, saying "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".

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He accused the APC-led government of fuelling crises within opposition parties through the involvement of security agencies, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and elements within the judiciary, stating "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".

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The ADC flagbearer also condemned the continued detention of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, describing it as part of a broader crackdown on opposition figures, saying "All because he is a leading opposition figure, this kind of cruelty must stop".

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Atiku further alleged that anti-corruption agencies were being used to pressure opposition politicians into joining the ruling party, saying "Under this government, once a person joins the APC, the harassment ceases and the charges against them magically disappear".

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He warned against continued interference in the affairs of the ADC by the Presidency, INEC, and the judiciary, saying "Enough is enough", and cautioned that any further attempt to undermine the coalition will be "fiercely" resisted.

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Despite the tension surrounding the primary contest, Atiku moved to calm divisions within the coalition, insisting that the party could not afford internal cracks ahead of the election, saying "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".

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He specifically appealed to Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen to work with him in what he described as a struggle to save Nigeria's democracy, saying "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".

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Atiku accused the Tinubu administration of failing to respond decisively to the wave of killings and attacks across the country, including the deaths of military personnel, saying "Every region of this country is gripped by insecurity, the worst kind in our history".

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He promised that an ADC government would strengthen the armed forces, police, and intelligence agencies through mass recruitment, improved welfare, better training, and modern equipment.

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On the economy, the former Vice President said official claims of economic growth did not reflect the reality facing millions of Nigerians as soaring prices continue to squeeze households across the country, stating "The poverty gripping our people is at a level that we have never seen in our history".

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He criticised the government's handling of fuel subsidy removal and rising debt, alleging that borrowed funds were being diverted through contracts awarded without due process, saying "The future of our younger generation is being mortgaged with no accountability".

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On education, the ADC candidate said more than 20 million school-age children were currently out of school under the APC administration, promising free and compulsory education at primary and secondary levels if elected, saying "This cannot be tolerated in the modern world where education is the surest path to decent employment, wealth creation, national development and enlightened citizenry".

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He also accused the Federal Government of neglecting the healthcare sector, claiming the Ministry of Health received only N30 million for capital expenditure in the previous fiscal year, saying "This is clearly a government that doesn’t care about the health of our people", and promised major investments in primary healthcare and specialist medical facilities.

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Atiku drew a direct contrast with the APC's 'Renewed Hope' slogan, saying "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".