Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has secured an early lead in the ongoing presidential primaries of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), winning five states as delegates cast their votes to determine the party’s flagbearer for the 2027 presidential election.

The high-stakes contest features Atiku alongside former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi and prominent economist Mohammed Hayatu-Deen. While the ADC national leadership has yet to formally announce the final collated results from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), preliminary figures indicate a commanding lead for the former vice president.

State-by-State Primary Results

Early returns from the zonal collation centers highlight significant margins for Atiku across multiple regions:

• Gombe State: Returning Officer Prof. David Agbu announced that Atiku polled 139,334 votes. Amaechi followed with 1,150 votes, while Hayatu-Deen secured 464 votes.

• Abia State: Atiku led the poll with 25,153 votes, followed by Amaechi with 18,339 votes and Hayatu-Deen with 3,264 votes.

• Ebonyi State: ADC National Vice Chairman (Diaspora) Fred Onwe reported that Atiku secured 15,300 votes. Amaechi received 2,200 votes, and Hayatu-Deen recorded 200 votes.

• Sokoto State: Atiku maintained his momentum by polling 68,823 votes. Hayatu-Deen received 319 votes, slightly ahead of Amaechi's 292 votes.

• Zamfara State: Atiku captured 60,500 votes, while Hayatu-Deen and Amaechi secured 436 and 191 votes, respectively.

Political Implications for 2027

The ongoing primary represents a critical litmus test for the ADC as opposition parties realign ahead of the 2027 general elections. Atiku, who served as the presidential candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in both 2019 and 2023, continues to leverage deep institutional influence across Nigeria's political landscape.

His challengers brought distinct platforms to the primary cycle:

Rotimi Amaechi, a former Governor of Rivers State and former Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), focused his campaign on institutional reform and strengthening internal party democracy.

Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, a veteran economist, centered his bid on structural economic reforms and private sector-led growth initiatives.

Political analysts suggest that the outcome of the ADC primary will heavily influence broader coalition talks among opposition blocs aiming to mount a unified challenge against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Party officials are expected to release the comprehensive, certified results later today following the completion of collation from the remaining states and the FCT.