Atiku visits Amaechi after ADC presidential primary

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Thursday visited former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi at his Abuja residence following the presidential primary of the African Democratic Congress.

Atiku was accompanied by former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, former ADC National Chairman Ralph Nwosu, and other party leaders.

The visit came amid ongoing reactions to the just-concluded ADC presidential primary election, where Atiku emerged as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.

The party announced the result on Wednesday night at the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, with Atiku defeating Amaechi and former banker Mohammed Hayatu-Deen in the contest.

According to the official figures released by the party, Atiku polled 1,846,370 votes, while Amaechi secured 504,117 votes and Hayatu-Deen received 177,120 votes.

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The party leadership, led by former Senate President David Mark, subsequently presented the ADC flag to Atiku after his victory was declared.

The ADC had adopted the direct primary method after the three aspirants declined calls for a consensus arrangement ahead of the exercise.

Speaking after the announcement of the results, Atiku appealed to aggrieved members and aspirants to unite behind the party.

“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 appealed to Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen to work with him ahead of the general election.

“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 divide the party.

“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 all stakeholders to strengthen the party ahead of the 2027 elections.

“I shall work with you all to continue to build our party. I will campaign with you and, if Nigeria’s leaders demand it, govern with you to build a country that works for all of us,” he said.

However, both Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen reportedly rejected the outcome of the primary, alleging irregularities in the voting process. Hayatu-Deen also said he would not attend the announcement of the results.

Details of Thursday’s closed-door meeting between Atiku and Amaechi were not made public as of the time of filing this report.