2027: Atiku calls for unity after emerging ADC presidential candidate

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.

Atiku made the remarks on Wednesday in Abuja shortly after he was declared winner of the party’s presidential primary.

He secured 1,846,370 votes to defeat former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, who polled 504,117 votes, and former FSB International Bank Managing Director Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, who garnered 177,120 votes.

In his post-election address, Atiku urged members of the party to put aside differences and focus on building a united front ahead of the next general election, stressing that the moment called for collective responsibility rather than celebration.

“I must state at this juncture that this is not the time to celebrate. No one was defeated because we are one party and we all need to recognise the fierce urgency of the moment,” he said.

“Therefore, we have to unite, as we pledged before this process, to work to pull our country and our people out of the destructive grip of a corrupt, incompetent and polarising APC government.”

Atiku also accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of allegedly sponsoring internal crises within opposition parties to weaken political rivals ahead of the 2027 elections.

“As I speak, virtually all opposition political parties in the country have a leadership crisis engineered by the APC government, the INEC and elements in the judiciary,” he said.