Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has taken what appears to be an unassailable lead in the 2027 presidential primary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which started yesterday, Monday, May 25, 2026.

He as so far won over 160,000 votes from three states, with Amaechi winning only one state and garnering about 7,000 votes, while Hayatu-Deen has yet to win a state. Atiku has won Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara, while Amaechi won Ebonyi.

The Zamfara chapter of ADC over-night declared Atiku as the winner of its presidential primary election in the state.

The Chairman of the ADC Presidential Primary Election Committee and Returning Officer for the exercise, Namadi Musa, announced the results on Monday in Gusau.

Musa said Abubakar polled 60,500 votes to defeat two other aspirants, Dr Mohammed Hayatuddeen, who scored 446 votes, and Rotimi Amaechi, who secured 191 votes.

He explained that the primary was conducted across all 147 wards in the 14 Local Government Areas of Zamfara in line with the party’s guidelines and the Electoral Act, 2026.

According to him, 63,484 party members were registered for the exercise, and 61,137 votes were cast.

“Having fulfilled the ADC guidelines and the Electoral Act, 2026, and having scored the highest votes, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is hereby returned as the party’s presidential candidate in Zamfara,” Musa declared.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Collation Officer for the Zamfara ADC Presidential Primary, Mikailu Barau, handed the collated results to the returning officer after the 14 local government party chairmen declared results from their areas.

Musa commended party members and stakeholders for their support, noting that the exercise was conducted peacefully across the state.

The collation and announcement of results were done in the presence of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials and other stakeholders.

NAN further reports that the results were announced in the presence of officials from the Election and Political Party Monitoring Department of the INEC.

The officials said they monitored every stage of the process, from the State Assembly and Governorship primaries to the House of Representatives, Senatorial, and Presidential primaries.

The head of the INEC team, Mr Lawal Aliyu, advised party officials to adhere strictly to the commission’s guidelines and the Electoral Act, 2026.

He said INEC would remain neutral and ensure a level playing field for all contestants in the electoral process.

Aliyu also urged stakeholders to mobilise prospective voters to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to participate in the general elections.

NAN reports that the ADC State Chairman, Shehu Maishanu, local government chairmen of the party, and candidates for State Assembly, House of Representatives, and Senatorial seats attended the event.

In Yobe, Atiku won the presidential primary with 44,841 votes.

Hajiya Ma’am Kyari, chairperson of the electoral committee in Yobe, announced the result on Monday in Damaturu.

Kyari said Mr Rotimi Amaechi secured 300 votes, while Mr Mohamed Hayatudeen polled 365 votes during the exercise.

She declared Atiku winner after securing the highest number of valid votes cast in the primary election.

“Having scored the highest number of valid votes cast, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is hereby declared winner of the ADC presidential primary election in Yobe State,” she said.

Kyari described the exercise as peaceful and conducted in line with the party’s guidelines.

She commended party members, officials and security agencies for ensuring a smooth process across the state.

The chairperson also praised aspirants and their supporters for maintaining decorum throughout the exercise.

Speaking afterwards, Mr Kassim Geidam, ADC governorship candidate in Yobe, described the primary as peaceful and successful.

Geidam said party supporters and stakeholders across Zones A, B and C actively participated in the process.

He commended party executives, security agencies and traditional rulers for supporting the peaceful conduct of the election.

The governorship candidate also appreciated media practitioners for their professionalism during the exercise.

Yesterday evening, Atiku had won the ADC presidential primary in Sokoto State by a wide margin.

Announcing the results on Monday, Chief Collation Officer, Prof. Aminu Abubakar, said Atiku secured 68,823 votes across the 23 local government areas.

Prof. Abubakar said 69,434 votes were cast during the exercise conducted across the state.

According to him, Amaechi, polled 292 votes.

But in Ebonyi, Amaechi secured 6,050 votes to emerge victorious, while Hayatu-Ddeen garnered 4,840 votes to come second, with Atiku coming a distant third with 1,210 votes. (Based largely on NAN reports)

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