The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, on Sunday met with Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, as part of his ongoing reconciliation efforts to ensure unity of purpose in the party.

The meeting was held at Mr Abubakar’s Lagos home days after he secured the ADC presidential ticket in a primary election where he defeated Mr Hayatu-Deen and Rotimi Amaechi.

Announcing details of the meeting in a statement sent to the Peoples Gazette, Eta Uso, special assistant to Mr Abubakar on digital operations, said the conversation focused on unity, inclusiveness, and strengthening the ADC.

He said, “Today in Lagos, H.E. Atiku Abubakar met with ADC presidential aspirant, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, reinforcing his belief that there is no winner and no loser in the democratic process.

“The conversation focused on unity, inclusiveness, and strengthening the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as the party continues its mission of offering Nigerians a credible alternative and a brighter future.

“The post-primary engagement follows objections from some contestants to the conduct of the exercise. Hayatu-Deen and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, had rejected the outcome of the primary, alleging irregularities and manipulation of the voting process.”

Mr Abubakar’s meeting with Mr Hayatu-Deen follows the former vice president’s visit to Mr Amaechi at his Abuja residence.

The ADC presidential candidate had noted that the move was aimed at uniting the party and consolidating support following the contentious presidential primary election.