Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi have participated in the presidential primaries of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), as the party’s internal battle for the 2027 presidential ticket intensified.
Atiku announced via his X account that he had cast his vote at the Ajiya Ward Polling Unit in Jimeta, Yola, Adamawa State, describing the exercise as “democracy at work.”
“I joined other prospective voters of the African Democratic Congress in our party’s presidential primaries in casting my vote at the Ajiya Ward Polling Unit in Jimeta Yola, Adamawa State. This is democracy at work. The election taking place simultaneously in 8,809 Wards in Nigeria is a major step in our quest to recover our beloved country and set it on the path of prosperity,” Atiku wrote.
Meanwhile, a post shared by ADC Vanguard on X announced the arrival of Amaechi in his hometown of Ubima community, Rivers State, for the presidential primary exercise
“Chibuike Amaechi arrives Ubima community for the ADC Presidential Primaries,” the group wrote, while sharing a video showing the former minister arriving to cast his vote.
The parallel voting exercise comes amid deepening rivalry within the ADC coalition, where leading opposition figures are battling for control of the party ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
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Amaechi had recently declared that Atiku would lose the ADC presidential primary, arguing that the crucial issue before delegates was not how many times a candidate had contested but whether such a candidate was “electable.”
Speaking during an interview on Trust TV, Amaechi said Atiku’s repeated victories in party primaries had failed to translate into success at the general elections.
I listened when they said former Vice President said he never failed primary before. I hope this will be the first time he will fail primary,” Amaechi had said.
“But that’s not even the issue. The issue is that at all times that you have passed primary, you have not won election. So it’s about electability.”
The former Transportation Minister also questioned whether Atiku still had anything new to offer Nigerians after multiple presidential bids.
So what new thing do they bring to the table?” Amaechi asked.
The ADC recently postponed its presidential screening exercise following disagreements among stakeholders over moves to adopt a consensus candidate.
The internal crisis reportedly centred around Atiku, Amaechi and former presidential aspirant Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.
The ADC has emerged as a rallying platform for several opposition figures seeking to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress in the 2027 general election.