The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 election, Atiku Abubakar, on Thursday visited his major opponent in the party’s recent primary, former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi.
The visit came days after Atiku defeated Amaechi in the ADC presidential primary election.
Amaechi had rejected the outcome of the exercise before Atiku was officially declared the winner, alleging that the process was marred by irregularities.
Although details of Thursday’s meeting had not been made public as of the time of filing this report, the visit is believed to be part of Atiku’s efforts to reconcile with aggrieved party members and secure Amaechi’s support ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Atiku, in his acceptance speech after the primary, had appealed to Amaechi and other dissatisfied members of the ADC to close ranks and work with him.
The former vice president said the party would need unity and collective effort to present a strong challenge in the general election.
The primary had generated controversy after Amaechi rejected the result, insisting that the process lacked credibility.
The former governor, who was one of Atiku’s strongest challengers in the race, complained about alleged irregularities in the conduct of the election.
His rejection of the outcome raised concerns over possible internal division within the ADC ahead of the 2027 poll.
As of the time of this report, neither Atiku nor Amaechi had addressed journalists on the outcome of the meeting.
It was also not immediately clear whether the former Rivers governor had agreed to support Atiku’s presidential bid.
However, speculations are that the meeting may be an attempt to calm tensions within the ADC and bring key figures together after the disputed primary.
