Atiku Abubakar has emerged as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate for the 2027 election, but immediately declared that it is not yet time to celebrate. Upon his victory, Atiku urged all party contestants to unify and work collaboratively to address Nigeria's pressing challenges, which he identified as corruption, incompetence, and the polarizing governance of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The former Vice President secured the ADC presidential ticket with a significant margin, polling over 1,846,370 votes. His closest challenger, former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, received 504,117 votes, while Mohammed Hayatu-Deen garnered 177,120 votes. Following the primaries, Atiku posted on X, emphasizing the need for collective action: "I must state at this juncture that this is not the time to celebrate. No one was defeated because we are one party and we all need to recognise the fierce urgency of the moment. Therefore, we have to unite, as we pledged before this process, to work to pull our country and our people out of the destructive grip of a corrupt, incompetent and polarising APC government." He also commended the ADC’s primary election committee for conducting peaceful, free, fair, and transparent primaries, extending his gratitude to various party organs, stakeholders, and supporters.

In a significant move to foster party unity, Atiku Abubakar, accompanied by prominent party leaders including former Sokoto State Governor Senator Aminu Tambuwal and ADC National Chairman Chief Ralph Nwosu, visited Rotimi Amaechi at his Abuja residence. This visit came amidst Amaechi's strong rejection of the primary results, which he publicly described as "concocted" and lacking credibility. Amaechi stated he would "unequivocally reject the concocted results being announced," alleging that many party members were disenfranchised and denied the opportunity to vote. He criticized the party for engaging in practices such as voter disenfranchisement, vote-buying, and result manipulation, warning that a party seeking to offer an alternative must uphold the democratic principles it advocates.

During his visit to Amaechi, which also coincided with Amaechi's birthday, Atiku confirmed that their discussions centered on the dire state of the nation. He spoke of "deep and honest conversations about the troubling state of our nation, the growing economic pain, insecurity, and the urgent responsibility on patriotic Nigerians to continue engaging in the search for solutions that can rescue our country from drift and despair." Atiku also used the opportunity to felicitate with Amaechi on his birthday, jokingly referencing Arsenal’s football triumph, which Amaechi, a known fan, took in good spirits. The former Vice President concluded that with the primaries now concluded, the "real hard work is about to begin" as the party prepares to campaign vigorously to win the next general elections and embark on the challenging process of rescuing Nigeria and its long-suffering populace.