Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has taken a commanding lead in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primaries, with results announced from 11 states so far confirming his significant advantage over rivals, former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi and businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen. Despite Atiku's early successes, the primary process has been marred by controversy, as both Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen have publicly rejected the results, citing alleged irregularities, widespread vote rigging, and a lack of credibility in the conduct of the elections.

In Ekiti State, Atiku Abubakar was declared the winner of the ADC presidential primary, polling a total of 18,395 votes. He convincingly defeated Rotimi Amaechi, who secured 1,574 votes, and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, who garnered 149 votes. The shadow election was conducted across all 16 local government areas of the state, with results demonstrating Atiku's dominance. For instance, in Ado LGA, Atiku received 648 votes, compared to Rotimi's 58 and Hayatu-Deen's 27. Other notable tallies included Atiku's 1,118 votes in Ijero LGA, 857 in Ekiti West, 797 in Irepodun/Ifelodun, 365 in Efon LGA, 1,821 in Ikere LGA, 1,699 in Ekiti South West, and a remarkable 2,800 votes in Ise/Orun LGA where his opponents recorded no votes. The total registered member voters in Ekiti stood at 20,958, with 20,115 accredited voters participating and casting valid votes.

Similarly, in Zamfara State, Atiku Abubakar emerged victorious in the ADC presidential primary election, securing an overwhelming 60,500 votes out of 61,137 votes cast. Engr. Namadi Muhammad Musa, the Returning Officer for the ADC Presidential Primary Election Committee in Zamfara, announced the results, stating that the exercise was conducted across 147 wards in all 14 Local Government Areas. Out of 63,484 registered members in the state, 61,137 participated. In Zamfara, Hayatuddin (Hayatu-Deen) received 446 votes, and Rotimi Amaechi scored 191 votes. Musa affirmed that the election adhered to the ADC constitution and electoral guidelines, describing the process as peaceful and orderly.

The widespread allegations of irregularities have cast a shadow over the primaries. Rotimi Amaechi described the results as “concocted” and lacking credibility, stating that he would only accept outcomes that were free, fair, and transparent. He further alleged widespread voter disenfranchisement across various parts of the country. Mohammed Hayatu-Deen echoed these concerns, announcing his boycott of the official announcement of primary results due to what he termed widespread vote rigging and manipulation. He stated, “I am concerned by reports from across the country of widespread vote rigging, some of which I myself observed, and will therefore be taking advice on my next steps.”

Responding to these serious allegations, Bolaji Abdullahi, the National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, stated that the party had not yet seen sufficient evidence to either confirm or dismiss the claims made by the aspirants. During an interview, Abdullahi clarified that the party was still awaiting results from several other states before concluding the collation process. He emphasized, “We don’t have any evidence to support his position or to deny his position because we’ve not collated the results. We’ve not noticed any pattern in the result, and we’ve not seen enough to be able to establish a pattern.”

The compiled results from the 11 states released so far underscore Atiku Abubakar's lead:

• Kebbi: Amaechi — 5,931, Atiku — 65,523, Hayatu-Deen — 454
• Anambra: Amaechi — 17,085, Atiku — 58,566, Hayatu-Deen — 7,861
• Abia: Amaechi — 18,339, Atiku — 25,153, Hayatu-Deen — 2,264
• Ekiti: Amaechi — 1,574, Atiku — 18,395, Hayatu-Deen — 149
• Ondo: Amaechi — 6,031, Atiku — 18,287, Hayatu-Deen — 875
• Gombe: Amaechi — 1,140, Atiku — 136,933, Hayatu-Deen — 455
• FCT: Amaechi — 14,721, Atiku — 18,704, Hayatu-Deen — 5,576
• Oyo: Amaechi — 1,553, Atiku — 23,011, Hayatu-Deen — 568
• Imo: Amaechi — 7,659, Atiku — 52,222, Hayatu-Deen — 1,121
• Yobe: Amaechi — 300, Atiku — 44,841, Hayatu-Deen — 365
• Nasarawa: Amaechi — 13,656, Atiku — 41,649, Hayatu-Deen — 6,774

These primaries are a crucial step for the ADC in selecting its flag bearer for the upcoming 2027 presidential election, with the party's National Publicity Secretary assuring that more details and results will follow as the collation continues.