Atiku Abubakar and Rotimi Amaechi on Monday participated in the presidential primary election of the African Democratic Congress ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Amaechi cast his vote at Ward 5 in Ubima, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, while Atiku voted at Ajiya Ward in Jimeta, Yola, Adamawa State.
The ADC is conducting a nationwide direct primary election across Nigeria’s 8,809 wards using the Option A4 voting method, where accredited party members queue openly behind their preferred aspirants.
The party’s presidential contest features three cleared aspirants — Atiku, Amaechi and economist Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.
Speaking after casting his vote, Atiku described the exercise as a demonstration of democracy and expressed optimism about the party’s chances in the 2027 election.
“This is democracy at work,” he wrote on X. “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.”
The primary election is being supervised by the party’s National Working Committee led by former Senate President David Mark.
Beyond the presidential race, the ADC is also conducting primaries for governorship, Senate and House of Representatives positions across the country.
However, the exercise comes amid internal disagreements within the party after another faction announced the dissolution of the David Mark-led leadership and declared Dumebi Kachikwu as its consensus presidential candidate.
Despite the dispute, the David Mark-led faction remains the leadership recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Meanwhile, the ruling All Progressives Congress recently concluded its presidential primary election, with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu emerging as the party’s candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
Nigeria’s next presidential election is scheduled to hold on February 20, 2027.
