Babachir Lawal Dumps ADC, Claims Primary Was Rigged For Atiku

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…Atiku Dismisses Rigging Allegation As Baseless

Former Secretary to the Gov­ernment of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has resigned from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), alleging that the party’s recent presidential primary was manipulated in favour of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Babachir Lawal, who is a founding member of ADC, in a statement issued on Monday, de­scribed the exercise as “massive­ly rigged,” claiming the process was skewed to ensure the emer­gence of Atiku and his allies, saying that he would engage in consultations with like-minded colleagues on how to stop Atiku from coming close to the presi­dential office.

Lawal said he couldn’t remain in a party where, according to him, legitimate winners were alleged­ly sidelined and replaced by pre­ferred candidates.

The former SGF severally referred to Atiku as Kachalla (warlord in Fulani), stressing that Tinubu would be a better president than Atiku.

He said: “I’m exiting the ADC because it’s just concluded prima­ries were at all levels massively rigged in favour Kachalla Abuba­kar Atiku. I sense a conspiracy of silence of which I don’t want to take part in. Most members of the party are behaving as if this is the normal thing to do.

“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.

“I’m doing so because I don’t intend to be part of Kachalla Ati­ku’s rigging machine in the 2027 general elections and I cannot avoid doing so if I remain in the party. For me, working for Kachal­la Atiku means giving Tinubu an automatic ticket to a second term which gives me nightmares.

“I believe Tinubu might, com­paratively speaking, end up a better Nigerian president than Kachalla Atiku could ever be (as bad as Tinu­bu currently is and possibly could ever be). The choice in 2027 it seems will be a Morton’s fork.

“I didn’t join the ADC to make Nigeria progressively worse so my beliefs and conscience won’t allow me partner with the evil that Atiku and his people represent.

“The North, it seems, is perpet­ually doomed to self-harm. While I will be tweaking my plans for the future and consulting with like-minded colleagues on how to stop this incompetent octogenari­an from coming close to the pres­idential office, I will in the mean­time retire to my village farm from where I will be watching Kachalla Atiku and his band of wicked vote riggers and result manipulators mercilessly out-rigged and beaten to pulp by Tinubu’s ruthless and superior rigging machine.

“Then, it will be bye bye to this octogenarian presidential wannabe. It will be bye bye to the North for preferring a religious hegemonist over a competent world-renown economist and cor­porate guru.”

Reacting, Atiku in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, described Lawal’s remarks as “emotionally driven” and lack­ing in verifiable evidence, insisting that the claims made against the party’s internal electoral process were unsubstantiated.

Atiku stated that while the party would ordinarily not dignify what he termed political grievanc­es with a response, the seriousness of allegations raised against the in­tegrity of the ADC primaries and its members made clarification necessary.

According to him, the pri­maries were conducted across structures nationwide, producing a clear outcome reflective of del­egates’ participation, adding that no credible evidence had been presented to support claims of manipulation or irregularity.

He said the assertions attribut­ed to Lawal amounted to personal opinion rather than fact-based crit­icism, stressing that no documents, witnesses, or verifiable proof had been provided to substantiate the allegations of electoral malprac­tice within the party.

Atiku also drew attention to what he described as inconsisten­cies in Lawal’s position, noting that while the former SGF questioned the credibility of the process at the national level, he did not raise objections in constituencies where outcomes were favourable to indi­viduals linked to him.

He argued that such selective interpretation of electoral outcomes undermines the credibility of the claims being made, insisting that democratic contests must be assessed holistically rather than through per­sonal or sectional interest.

The statement further ad­dressed Lawal’s comments on political leadership and electoral conduct, urging restraint in pub­lic discourse and warning against rhetoric that could inflame divi­sions within the political space.

The former vice president maintained that the ADC presi­dential primaries were conducted within established party guide­lines and reflected the participa­tion of delegates across different levels of the party structure.

He added that dissatisfaction with outcomes does not equate to evidence of manipulation, em­phasising that disagreement is a normal part of democratic com­petition.

The statement also responded to Lawal’s criticism of the par­ty’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, arguing that political discourse should focus on policies, leadership records, and national is­sues rather than personal attacks.

Atiku said public attention should be directed toward the country’s broader challenges, in­cluding economic pressures, inse­curity, unemployment, and social welfare concerns affecting citizens across the country.

Atiku said he remains focused on national unity and economic reforms, adding that he’s a politi­cian with a long-standing record in public service and private sector engagement.

According to him, attacks on personalities rather than ideas reflect frustration over political outcomes rather than substantive disagreement over governance direction.

The statement also referenced what it described as contradic­tions in Lawal’s public comments, particularly his critique of the primaries alongside expressions of acceptance of outcomes in cer­tain constituencies involving his associates.

Atiku maintained that such positions raise questions about consistency and principle in polit­ical engagement.

He added that democracy is rooted in participation and accep­tance of outcomes, noting that elec­toral contests inevitably produce winners and losers.

Atiku also cautioned against the use of identity-based or di­visive narratives in political dis­agreements, stressing that such approaches do not contribute to national development or political stability.