In a statement issued by Atiku’s spokesman, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president’s camp dismissed Lawal’s criticism of the ADC primaries as “political fiction” driven by disappointment over the outcome of the exercise.
Shaibu said Lawal lacked the moral standing to lecture Nigerians on electoral integrity, recalling his controversial exit from public office over the grass-cutting contract scandal.
“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,” the statement said.
“Nigerians may forgive many things, but they seldom forget history. Mr. Lawal is not remembered for any celebrated crusade for accountability.
Rather, he remains one of the most prominent public officials ever removed from office under the cloud of the infamous grass-cutting contract scandal.”
The Atiku camp argued that Lawal’s allegations of manipulation in the ADC primaries in favour of Atiku, were unsupported by any evidence, insisting that the exercise was conducted across thousands of wards and produced a clear 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 stated.
According to him, Lawal’s claims amounted to “a familiar cocktail of disappointment, bitterness, conspiracy theories, and personal attacks.”
The statement also accused the former SGF of contradicting himself by condemning alleged electoral malpractice while praising what he described as President Bola Tinubu’s “superior rigging machine.”
“Nigerians are therefore entitled to ask a simple question: if rigging is indeed an unforgivable crime, why does Mr. Lawal appear almost fascinated by it when he imagines it might serve his preferred political outcome?” the statement queried.
Shaibu further accused Lawal of resorting to ethnic and religious sentiments after failing to secure support for his preferred candidate in the ADC contest.
“Such rhetoric neither unites Nigeria nor addresses the hardship confronting ordinary citizens. It creates no jobs, lowers no food prices, secures no communities, and offers no pathway out of the national crisis,” he said.
The Atiku camp also questioned Lawal’s rejection of the presidential primary results while allegedly accepting the emergence of his 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,” the statement said.
“It is precisely this kind of opportunism that has eroded public confidence in politics and exposed the weakness of his present arguments.”
Shaibu described Lawal’s comments about Atiku’s family as irrelevant, arguing that Nigerians were more concerned about worsening economic conditions, insecurity and unemployment than personal attacks on political opponents.
“What concerns ordinary citizens today is not how many children a politician has, but how many children are going to bed hungry,” he said.
Defending Atiku’s political credentials, the statement said Nigerians were familiar with the former vice president’s record in public service and business, insisting that his appeal transcends ethnic, religious and regional divides.
“The Nigerian people know Atiku Abubakar. They know his record in public service. They know his achievements in business. They know his commitment to national unity
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