Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has announced his resignation from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), alleging that the party’s recently concluded primary elections were massively rigged in favour of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Lawal made the announcement in a statement posted on his official Facebook page on Monday, accusing the party leadership of manipulating the primary process and replacing legitimate winners with Atiku loyalists.
According to him, the primaries were marred by widespread irregularities, with results allegedly altered to favour Atiku and his supporters.
“I am exiting the ADC because its just concluded primaries were at all levels massively rigged in favour of Kachalla Abubakar Atiku,” Lawal said.
He also claimed that a “conspiracy of silence” had enveloped the party, alleging that many members had accepted the outcome despite what he described as obvious manipulation.
“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 stated.
The former SGF disclosed that his decision to leave the party was also informed by his refusal to be associated with what he described as Atiku’s “rigging machine” ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Lawal accused Atiku and his associates of pursuing ethnic and religious interests, arguing that supporting the former vice president’s political ambition would ultimately strengthen President Bola Tinubu’s chances of securing a second term in office.
“For me, working for Kachalla Atiku means giving Tinubu an automatic ticket to a second term,” he said.
He equally questioned Atiku’s capacity to lead the country and expressed concerns about the potential implications of an Atiku presidency, citing the former vice president’s family size and personal circumstances.
“For, with close to 25 adult children, six wives (past and present, some offshore) and a heavily shrunk decapitated business empire, I foresee 25 Seyi Tinubus and six Remi Tinubus,” he said, adding that the prospect had been keeping him awake at night with worry.
He asserted that an Atiku administration could create governance challenges similar to those he associates with President Bola Tinubu’s administration and raised concerns about the influence of individuals he claimed might emerge around a future Atiku government.
Lawal further criticised northern political actors whom he accused of backing Atiku despite what he described as the worsening economic and security conditions in the region.
“I would have thought that when Northerners insist on a northern president they would be thinking of one that will stop the downward spiral into poverty and insecurity, not an ineptocrat like Kachalla Atiku,” he noted.
Despite his departure from the ADC, Lawal indicated that he would remain politically active and continue consultations with like-minded associates on ways to prevent Atiku from emerging as Nigeria’s next president.
He added that he would temporarily retire to his village while monitoring political developments ahead of the 2027 elections.
