By Yunusa Isa, Gombe
Former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has secured a resounding victory in the Gombe State African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary election, defeating his closest rivals Rotimi Amaechi and Muhammad Hayatuddeen Adamu by a sweeping margin.
Announcing the official results following the collation of figures from all 11 local government areas, the chairman of the Gombe State ADC Primary Elections Committee, Professor David Agbu, confirmed that Atiku overwhelmingly defeated the two opponents, Amaechi and Hayatuddeen.
According to the official tally declared by Professor Agbu, Atiku polled a staggering 139,334 votes. In stark contrast, Amaechi secured 1,150 votes, while Hayatuddeen trailed with 465 votes.
“Having scored the highest votes cast and met the requirements enshrined by law, the committee is satisfied that Atiku Abubakar has received the highest votes cast in his favour and is hereby duly declared winner and returned elected as the ADC presidential primary winner in Gombe State,” Professor Agbu announced.
The committee chairman further commended the orderly conduct of the exercise, noting that the election was “peaceful, free, fair, and credible” across all 114 wards of the state.
A breakdown of the performance across the 11 local government areas highlights Atiku’s absolute dominance in the state.
In Gombe LGA, Atiku garnered 27,800 votes against Amaechi’s 376 and Hayatuddeen’s 40.
In Yamaltu-Deba, Atiku pulled 20,367 votes, leaving Amaechi with 5 and Hayatuddeen with 4.
The trend remained consistent in Akko LGA, where Atiku scored 17,218 votes, while Amaechi and Hayatuddeen received 308 and 50 votes, respectively.
Similar landslide margins were recorded across the remaining regions: Kwami (Atiku 13,973; Amaechi 11; Hayatuddeen 5).
Funakaye (Atiku 13,323; Amaechi 14; Hayatuddeen 5), Kaltungo (Atiku 10,853; Amaechi 28; Hayatuddeen 16), Balanga (Atiku 8,958; Amaechi 270; Hayatuddeen 80),
Billiri (Atiku 8,086; Amaechi 208; Hayatuddeen 202), Dukku (Atiku 7,636; Amaechi 38; Hayatuddeen 27), Shongom (Atiku 5,678; Amaechi 51; Hayatuddeen 21), and Nafada (Atiku 5,416; Amaechi 21; Hayatuddeen 5).
This overwhelming victory reaffirms Gombe’s status as a traditional stronghold for the former Vice President.
Atiku’s commanding grip on the state echoes his performance in the last general election, where he won Gombe by a significant margin against the incumbent president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.