*It’s selective outrage -Atiku
The presidential campaign of the Presidential Candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC) may have experienced it’s first setback following the sudden resignation of the former Secretary to the government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal from the party.
The former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, accused the party of manipulating its recent presidential primary in favour of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
In a statement posted on his official Facebook page on Monday, Lawal announced his resignation from the party, alleging widespread irregularities in the conduct of the primaries at various levels.
“I am exiting the ADC because its just concluded primaries were at all levels massively rigged in favour of Kachalla Abubakar Atiku,” Lawal said. Kachalla in Fulani Language, according to Lawal means conqueror.
The former SGF claimed that election results were altered to benefit Atiku and his supporters, alleging that even where voting took place, declared winners were subsequently replaced.
“Results were just written or rewritten to favour him and his coven. Even where they allowed some semblance of election to hold, the winners were simply replaced with members of his syndicate. In the real sense it was a disgraceful charade,” he alleged.
Lawal further stated that he could not remain in a political platform whose internal processes, according to him, lacked credibility and could potentially undermine future elections.
His resignation comes amid lingering controversy surrounding the ADC presidential primary, which produced Atiku as the party’s candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
According to the official results announced by the party, Atiku polled 1,846,370 votes to defeat former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi, who secured 504,117 votes, while businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen came third with 177,120 votes.
However, Atiku’s media team swiftly dismissed Lawal’s allegations, describing them as baseless and motivated by disappointment over the outcome of the primary.
In a strongly worded statement, Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, accused the former SGF of attempting to discredit a democratic process without evidence.
“The ADC presidential primaries were conducted across thousands of wards and produced a clear and decisive outcome. What Mr. Lawal has offered Nigerians is not evidence. He has produced no documents, no verifiable facts, no credible witnesses, and no proof whatsoever to support his sensational allegations,” Shaibu said.
The Atiku camp argued that Lawal’s criticism stemmed from dissatisfaction with the results rather than genuine concerns about electoral integrity.
“What appears to have truly unsettled Mr. Lawal is not the conduct of the primaries but the outcome. Democracy guarantees participation, not victory. One cannot celebrate democracy when it produces a preferred result and suddenly condemn it as rigged when it does not,” the statement added.
Shaibu also accused Lawal of inconsistency, noting that while the former SGF rejected the presidential primary results, he had not challenged outcomes from the same exercise that allegedly favoured his associates.
The Atiku aide specifically referenced the emergence of Lawal’s cousin, Omar Suleiman, as the ADC governorship candidate in Adamawa State.
“If the ADC primaries were truly the sham Mr. Lawal now portrays them to be, intellectual honesty would require him to reject every outcome arising from that exercise, including the emergence of his cousin. Instead, he has chosen the path of selective outrage,” Shaibu said.
The statement further criticised Lawal’s public record, referencing the controversy that led to his removal from office during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“It is perhaps the greatest irony of this entire episode that Mr. Babachir Lawal now seeks to reinvent himself as Nigeria’s newest apostle of integrity, transparency and democratic virtue,” Shaibu stated.
He maintained that Atiku remained focused on addressing Nigeria’s economic and security challenges rather than engaging in post-primary disputes.
“While others manufacture conspiracies, Atiku Abubakar remains focused on solutions. While others traffic in bitterness, he remains committed to national unity. While others dwell on personal grievances and political disappointments, he remains focused on restoring prosperity, security and opportunity to millions of Nigerians,” Shaibu said.
It is believed that this latest exchange, could pose a challenge to efforts by the ADC and other opposition party to consolidate ahead of the 2027 general election.
