By Babs Oyetoro
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi recorded key victories on Monday as early results from the ongoing African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary began to emerge from different states across the country.
The nationwide direct primary, involving party members across thousands of wards, has turned into a keen contest among Atiku, Amaechi and economist Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, with early figures showing a divided pattern of support for the leading aspirants.
In Sokoto State, Atiku secured a landslide victory after polling 69,431 votes to defeat his closest challengers by a wide margin.
Declaring the result at the ADC State Secretariat in Sokoto, the Returning Officer, Professor Aminu Abubakar Illela, said the former vice president scored the highest number of valid votes cast during the exercise.
According to the official figures announced, Amaechi secured 292 votes, while Hayatu-Deen polled 319 votes.
“With the powers conferred on me as the Returning Officer for this election, I hereby declare Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as the winner of the Sokoto State ADC presidential primary election, having scored the highest number of valid votes cast,” Prof. Illela stated.
The announcement triggered celebrations among party supporters and loyalists who gathered at the secretariat chanting solidarity songs and expressing optimism over Atiku’s chances in the 2027 presidential election.
Party stakeholders in the state described the outcome as a reflection of confidence in Atiku’s political experience and leadership credentials.
The exercise was monitored by party officials and observers, with electoral officers describing the process as peaceful, transparent and credible.
Atiku also recorded victory in parts of Yobe State where results from Bolewa and Potiskum showed him comfortably ahead of his rivals.
Results announced by officials indicated that the former vice president polled 740 votes, while Amaechi secured 15 votes and Hayatu-Deen got two votes.
Speaking after casting his vote in Jimeta, Adamawa State, Atiku commended the conduct of the primary, describing it as a significant democratic exercise for the party.
Amaechi, however, recorded a major victory in Ebonyi State, where he defeated both Atiku and Hayatu-Deen in the presidential primary conducted across the state.
Announcing the outcome, the Coordinator of Electoral Matters and Returning Officer, Bassey Edogi Imoke, said Amaechi polled 6,050 votes to emerge the winner.
According to him, Atiku secured 1,210 votes, while Hayatu-Deen garnered 4,840 votes in the exercise conducted across the 171 political wards in Ebonyi State.
“At the end of the election, His Excellency Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, having scored the highest number of votes cast, is hereby returned elected as the preferred flag bearer of the African Democratic Congress in Ebonyi State for the 2027 general election,” Imoke declared.
The Ebonyi State Chairman of the ADC, Dr Mrs Jennifer Adibe-Nwafor, commended party members for maintaining peace during the exercise and insisted that all aspirants were given equal opportunity.
“No delegate was forced to vote for any aspirant. The election was free, fair and credible, while all aspirants were given a level playing ground,” she said.
Officials of the party said the direct primary was aimed at broadening participation and strengthening internal democracy ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Meanwhile, collation of results from several states was still ongoing as of the time of filing this report.
