Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar established an early dominance in the African Democratic Congress presidential primary on Tuesday after securing victories in five states, tightening his grip on a contest already shaping the calculations of opposition politics ahead of the 2027 general election.
Results emerging from parts of the country showed Atiku defeating his closest rival, former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, by wide margins in Gombe, Abia, Ebonyi, Sokoto and Zamfara states, while economist Mohammed Hayatu-Deen trailed distantly in most of the early counts.
Although the ADC had yet to officially declare a final winner as of Tuesday afternoon, the scale of the early results pointed to a contest rapidly tilting in Atiku’s favour, thereby reinforcing his enduring influence within Nigeria’s fragmented opposition landscape.
The primary, conducted at the time of growing coalition talks among opposition figures, is being closely watched beyond the ADC itself. Political observers view the exercise less as an ordinary party contest and more as a measure of who may eventually command the broadest anti-APC political alliance before 2027.
Figures announced by returning officers across some states reflected the uneven nature of the race.
In Gombe State, results announced by Returning Officer Prof. David Agbu showed Atiku polling 139,334 votes against Amaechi’s 1,150 votes, while Hayatu-Deen secured 464 votes.
A similar pattern emerged in Sokoto, where Atiku scored 68,823 votes, leaving Amaechi with 292 votes and Hayatu-Deen with 319 votes.
READ RELATED STORY
Atiku congratulates Arsenal on Premier League triumph, links success to vision for Nigeria
Atiku congratulates Arsenal on Premier League triumph, links success to vision for Nigeria
Atiku rallies Nigerians behind ADC-led political movement
In Zamfara, the former vice president secured 60,500 votes, while Hayatu-Deen polled 436 votes and Amaechi managed 191 votes.
Atiku also recorded victories in Abia and Ebonyi states.
In Abia, he polled 25,153 votes ahead of Amaechi’s 18,339 votes, while Hayatu-Deen received 3,264 votes.
Results announced in Ebonyi by the ADC National Vice Chairman (Diaspora), Fred Onwe, showed Atiku polling 15,300 votes. Amaechi secured 2,200 votes, while Hayatu-Deen obtained 200 votes.
The early margins have again highlighted Atiku’s deep political network, particularly across northern blocs and sections of the South-East, despite repeated presidential defeats in previous election cycles
Besides the figure, the primary also exposed the difficult terrain facing opposition parties attempting to reposition themselves against the ruling All Progressives Congress.
Amaechi entered the race projecting himself as a reform-minded alternative capable of strengthening internal democracy and rebuilding institutional confidence within opposition politics. Hayatu-Deen, meanwhile, focused his campaign on economic restructuring and private sector-led reforms.
However, the early results suggested that name recognition, political machinery, and long-established networks still outweighed issue-based campaigning inside the evolving opposition coalition.
Tuesday’s exercise also carried symbolic significance for Atiku himself.
Having contested presidential elections multiple times under different political platforms, the former vice president remains one of the few opposition figures with national political reach strong enough to attract both loyalists and sceptics in equal measure.
For supporters, the early lead signals continuity of experience and political structure. For critics, however, it revives old questions about whether Nigeria’s opposition is genuinely producing new political alternatives or merely recycling familiar power blocs under different party banners.
The ADC primary comes at a period of heightened political realignment, with opposition parties increasingly searching for a united platform capable of mounting a stronger challenge against President Bola Tinubu and the APC in 2027.
Party officials said collation from the remaining states and the Federal Capital Territory was still ongoing as of press time, with the final declaration expected later on Tuesday.
Even before the official announcement, however, the direction of the contest already appeared difficult to ignore.
