Former Vice-President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has accused former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, of promoting ethnic prejudice and peddling conspiracy theories.
Naijaonpoint reports that Atiku said Lawal’s recent attacks on him were not backed by facts or evidence but were driven by ethnic profiling and inflammatory rhetoric.
He said this in a statement issued on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.
Atiku said the most troubling part of Lawal’s comments was the attempt to link an entire ethnic group with the actions of criminal elements.
“It was both dangerous and irresponsible to suggest that any Nigerian should be judged, condemned, or held accountable for crimes committed by individuals simply because they share a common ancestry,” Atiku said.
He warned that such reasoning could worsen national division at a time Nigeria was already battling insecurity, economic hardship and political tension.
“By such flawed reasoning, every ethnic nationality in Nigeria could be collectively blamed for the actions of a few criminal elements within their communities, a mindset that has historically fuelled division and undermined national unity,” he added.
The former Vice-President also accused Lawal of contradicting himself in his public comments.
He said Lawal had criticised him while also reportedly boasting that several governors were trying to bring him back into the All Progressives Congress.
Atiku asked, “Nigerians are entitled to ask a simple question: which Babachir should they believe? The Babachir who claims to be a victim of political conspiracies and ethnic domination, or the Babachir who boasts that governors are scrambling for his services?
“One moment, he presents himself as a lonely patriot standing against an imagined threat to Nigeria. The next moment, he portrays himself as a prized political asset being courted by powerful governors. Such contradictions expose a man struggling to reconcile personal disappointment with political reality.”
Atiku further accused Lawal of attempting to stigmatise the Fulani ethnic group despite serving under former President Muhammadu Buhari, who is also Fulani.
He said Buhari appointed Lawal as SGF, the highest public office he had occupied.
“At no point did Mr Lawal object to receiving such trust and elevation from a Fulani President. He accepted the office, the privileges, and the prestige that came with it. It is therefore difficult to understand why he now seeks to stigmatise an entire ethnic group merely because another Fulani man seeks the presidency through democratic means,” he stated.
Atiku rejected suggestions that he had been indifferent to victims of violence across the country.
He said his record showed consistent solidarity with communities affected by terrorism, banditry, kidnappings and communal conflicts.
Atiku said, “When tragedy struck the people of Kagoro in Southern Kaduna, I did not ask whether the victims were Christians or Muslims, northerners or southerners, Fulani or non-Fulani.
“Instead, I attended a church Thanksgiving service to identify with the grieving community, commiserate with families affected by the violence, and demonstrate solidarity with fellow Nigerians in their moment of pain.
“Leadership is not about counting tribes or measuring faith. It is about standing with people in moments of difficulty, regardless of their ethnic or religious identity. That has always been my approach, and it will continue to be.”
The ADC candidate also highlighted his investment in education and human development.
He recalled facilitating scholarships for some of the released Chibok schoolgirls at the American University of Nigeria, Yola.
He further stated, “Those young women are living proof that compassion is more powerful than bitterness and that nation-building requires action, not merely rhetoric.
“While some people chose to exploit national tragedies for political narratives, others chose to invest in healing and hope.”
Atiku also defended his business record, describing attempts to question his credentials as “amusing and detached from reality.”
“The American University of Nigeria stands as a visible and enduring monument to what private initiative can achieve. Thousands of graduates and their families are beneficiaries of that vision. No amount of political bitterness can erase those facts,” he added.
