The Zamfara chapter of the African Democratic Congress has declared former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar 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.

Mr Abubakar polled 60,500 votes, defeating two other aspirants. 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 council 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,” Mr Musa declared.

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.

Mr 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 officials and other stakeholders.

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, 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.

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

(NAN)