Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called for unity within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) after emerging as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
Speaking shortly after the conclusion of the presidential primary in Abuja, Atiku urged party members and supporters to put aside differences and focus on challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
According to the official results released by the party, Atiku polled 1,846,370 votes to defeat former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, who secured 504,117 votes, while former banker Mohammed Hayatu-Deen garnered 177,120 votes.
Addressing party faithful after his victory, Atiku insisted that the primary should not divide the party.
“This is not the time to celebrate. Nobody was defeated because we are one party and we all need to recognise the urgency of the moment,” he said.
The former vice president called on ADC members to unite and work together to “rescue Nigeria” from what he described as poor governance under the APC administration.
Atiku also accused the ruling party of allegedly fueling crises within opposition parties and using state institutions to intimidate political opponents.
“As I speak, virtually all opposition parties are battling leadership crises allegedly engineered by the APC government, INEC and elements within the judiciary,” he claimed.
He further alleged that anti-corruption agencies and security institutions were being used to pressure opposition politicians into defecting to the APC.
“Once a politician joins the APC, the harassment suddenly stops and the charges disappear,” he alleged.
The ADC presidential candidate also criticised the Tinubu administration over worsening insecurity, economic hardship and rising debt, insisting that Nigerians were yet to feel the expected benefits of fuel subsidy removal.
According to him, an ADC-led government would prioritise security, healthcare, education and economic reforms if elected into office in 2027.
