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Atiku Abubakar Wins ADC Presidential Ticket as Opposition Realigns — PDP Calls It 'Political Betrayal'
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar acknowledges cheers after clinching the ADC presidential ticket in Abuja.
The political chessboard of 2027 shifted dramatically on Wednesday night as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar emerged as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) standard-bearer, who ran unsuccessfully against President Bola Tinubu in 2023, polled 1,247 votes to defeat his closest rival, former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke, who garnered 412 votes. The victory, announced in the early hours of Thursday after a two-day primary convention in Abuja, ends months of speculation about Atiku's political future.
But the win was not without controversy. The PDP immediately reacted with fury, describing the move as "political prostitution" in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary. Atiku has not formally resigned from the PDP, though party insiders confirm his membership has been suspended by his local ward in Adamawa State. The ADC, once considered a minor opposition party, now positions itself as the flagship of a burgeoning anti-Tinubu coalition, with whispers of merger talks involving the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and segments of the Labour Party.
Atiku, speaking after receiving the certificate of return, struck a reconciliatory tone but also fired a warning shot. "The APC has failed Nigerians on security, on the economy, and on every promise they made," he told a crowd of delegates. "We shall offer a new vision. Not with bitterness, but with the urgency that our suffering people demand." He did not mention the PDP by name, but the implication was clear: the old opposition is fractured, and the ADC is the new gathering ground.
The ADC's primary had been delayed by 24 hours due to the Eid-el-Kabir holiday, but the collation of results resumed at noon on Thursday. Party chairman Ralph Nwosu praised the exercise as "the most transparent in our history," even as some delegates alleged vote-buying. Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has taken note, with a spokesman reminding all parties that the deadline for submission of candidate lists is fast approaching.
Atiku's defection to the ADC reopens old wounds in the opposition. The PDP, now in disarray, may be forced to field a less formidable candidate — or worse, splinter further. The Labour Party, still licking its wounds from the Peter Obi era, has yet to announce its primaries. As the 2027 race takes shape, one thing is certain: the former Vice President is not done yet. And the ADC, once an afterthought, has suddenly become the stage for the biggest political drama of the season.
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