Atiku Visits Amaechi After ADC Presidential Primary

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Thursday visited former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, at his Abuja residence following the conclusion of the African Democratic Congress presidential primary.

Atiku was accompanied by former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, former ADC National Chairman Ralph Nwosu and other party leaders during the visit, which came amid reactions trailing the just-concluded presidential primary election.

The ADC had on Wednesday night declared Atiku winner of the contest held at the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, making him the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.

According to the official results announced by the party, Atiku secured 1,846,370 votes to defeat Amaechi, who polled 504,117 votes, while former banker Mohammed Hayatu-Deen received 177,120 votes.

Following the declaration, the party leadership led by former Senate President David Mark formally presented the ADC flag to Atiku as the party’s standard-bearer.

The party adopted the direct primary method for the election after all three aspirants reportedly rejected calls for a consensus arrangement ahead of the exercise.

Speaking shortly after the announcement of the results, Atiku appealed to aggrieved party members and aspirants to remain united ahead of the 2027 elections.

“I therefore appeal to all those who feel aggrieved to come back to our party and close ranks with the rest of us,” he said.

The former vice president also directly called on Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen to work with him in strengthening the party.

“In particular, I invite Chief Rotimi Amaechi and Alhaji Muhammad Hayatu-Deen to join me in this fight to save our democracy and our country,” Atiku stated.

He stressed that the outcome of the primary should not create division within the ADC.

“As I said previously, there are no winners and no losers. Our people look up to us for leadership, and I am ready to lead,” he added.

Atiku further pledged to work with party stakeholders to build a stronger opposition platform ahead of the general election.

However, both Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen reportedly rejected the outcome of the primary, alleging irregularities in the voting process, while Hayatu-Deen also reportedly declined to attend the official declaration of results.

Details of Thursday’s closed-door meeting between Atiku and Amaechi were not disclosed as of the time this report was filed.