DistantNews
Support us
🇳🇬 Nigeria /Elections & Politics

Atiku wins ADC presidential ticket; Trump directive triggered anti-ISIS strikes in Nigeria

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • Atiku Abubakar won the African Democratic Congress presidential ticket for the 2027 general election, defeating rivals Rotimi Amaechi and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.
  • A Trump-era directive prioritized protecting Nigerian Christians from ISIS-linked groups, leading to the killing of a key ISIS operative.
  • Developments also include the naming of a bus terminal in Abia and ongoing concerns over pupil abductions in Oyo and Borno states.

Atiku Abubakar has secured the presidential ticket for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Nigeria's 2027 general election. He emerged victorious at the party's primary held in Abuja, defeating prominent rivals Rotimi Amaechi and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen by a significant margin. Official results showed Abubakar garnering 1,846,370 votes, far ahead of Amaechi's 504,117 and Hayatudeen's 177,120.

I therefore appeal to all those who feel aggrieved to come back to our party and close ranks with the rest of us.

— Atiku AbubakarFollowing his victory at the African Democratic Congress presidential primary.

Following his win, Abubakar called for party unity, urging his rivals to "come back to our party and close ranks." He emphasized cooperation and stated that the contest should not divide members, asserting, "there are no winners and no losers." He pledged to work with stakeholders to strengthen the party for the upcoming general election.

As I said previously, there are no winners and no losers.

— Atiku AbubakarAddressing party members after winning the presidential ticket.

Meanwhile, security disclosures from the United States revealed a counterterrorism operation linked to a directive from former President Donald Trump. U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stated that Trump prioritized the protection of Nigerian Christians targeted by ISIS-linked groups. This directive, according to Hegseth, shaped military coordination and intelligence in the Lake Chad Basin, leading to the successful joint U.S.-Nigerian mission that killed ISIS second-in-command Abu-Bilal al-Minuki.

Maybe a year ago, he heard the call of Nigerian Christians who were being targeted and killed by ISIS in Nigeria, and he said, ‘Pete, I want the War Department to focus on ensuring that we do everything we can to protect those Christians.’

— Pete HegsethExplaining a Trump-era directive that led to counterterrorism operations in Nigeria.

The morning's news also touched upon domestic affairs in Nigeria, including Governor Alex Otti of Abia State naming the Umuahia Central Bus Terminal after Prof. Nnenna Oti. National attention also remained focused on the abduction of pupils in Oyo and Borno states. In the United Kingdom, the Nigerian community mourned the death of Kayode Ogunbodede, a father of two, with fundraising efforts underway for his family.

And we got the assets there, and over the last month, and there hasn’t been much coverage of

— Pete HegsethDescribing the success of the counterterrorism operation.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog