Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has taken an early lead in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary after securing victories in several states as delegates across Nigeria voted to determine the party’s flagbearer for the 2027 presidential election.
The contest, held on Monday across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, features three aspirants — Atiku Abubakar, former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, and economist Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.
Although the ADC national leadership is yet to officially announce the final collated result, figures emerging from multiple states show Atiku leading by wide margins in the early rounds of counting.
Reports indicate that the former vice president has already won in states including Gombe, Abia, Ebonyi, Sokoto, Zamfara, and Yobe, while also maintaining strong leads in Adamawa, Kaduna, Edo, Enugu, and Nasarawa as more results continue to arrive.
In Zamfara State, the chairperson of the ADC electoral committee, Muhammad Musa, announced that Atiku polled 60,500 votes, defeating Hayatu-Deen who secured 446 votes and Amaechi who scored 191 votes. Musa disclosed that the exercise was conducted across the 147 wards in the state’s 14 local government areas in compliance with the Electoral Act 2026 and ADC guidelines.
“Having fulfilled the ADC guidelines and the Electoral Act, 2026, and having scored the highest votes, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is hereby declared the winner of the presidential primary election in Zamfara State,” Musa stated.
In Yobe State, Atiku reportedly secured 44,841 votes, while Amaechi polled 300 votes and Hayatu-Deen received 365 votes. Sokoto also delivered a major victory for the former vice president, where he scored 68,823 votes across the state’s 23 local government areas.
Gombe State results announced by Returning Officer Prof. David Agbu showed Atiku polling 139,334 votes ahead of Amaechi’s 1,150 votes and Hayatu-Deen’s 464 votes. In Abia State, Atiku secured 25,153 votes while Amaechi recorded 18,339 votes and Hayatu-Deen polled 3,264 votes.
Ebonyi State also tilted heavily in Atiku’s favour. Results announced by ADC National Vice Chairman (Diaspora), Fred Onwe, showed Atiku winning with 15,300 votes while Amaechi got 2,200 votes and Hayatu-Deen received 200 votes.
The ADC had earlier cleared the three aspirants for the primary after screening conducted by a committee headed by former Cross River State Governor Liyel Imoke. The party abandoned plans for a consensus candidate after consultations among stakeholders failed to produce an agreement.
Ahead of the exercise, ADC spokesperson Bolaji Abdullahi described the primary as a defining democratic moment for both the party and Nigerians searching for an alternative political platform ahead of 2027.
Speaking before voting commenced, Atiku urged delegates to support a candidate with experience, national appeal, and the capacity to tackle Nigeria’s economic and security challenges from day one. Amaechi, on his part, appealed to delegates to back a candidate capable of defeating the ruling APC in the general election, while Hayatu-Deen positioned himself as a reform-driven technocrat focused on economic transformation.
