ADC primaries: Atiku, Babachir trade words as ex-SGF quits party

A heated exchange has erupted between former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ex-Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, following the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primaries. Lawal, a prominent opposition figure, announced his resignation from the ADC on Monday, leveling serious accusations that the party's primaries were massively rigged to favor Abubakar.

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I am exiting the ADC because its just concluded primaries were at all levels massively rigged in favour of Kachalla Abubakar Atiku. Results were just written or rewritten to favour him and his coven. Even where they allowed some semblance of an election to be held, the winners were simply replaced with members of his syndicate. In the real sense, it was a disgraceful charade.

Lawal stated that results were fabricated or altered to benefit Abubakar and his associates. He described the process as a "disgraceful charade" and expressed his unwillingness to be part of any rigging scheme, particularly in the context of the 2027 general elections. He warned that supporting Abubakar would be akin to handing President Bola Tinubu an automatic second term, a prospect he finds deeply unsettling.

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Having chosen to malign a democratic process, insult thousands of ADC members nationwide, and make grave allegations without presenting a shred of evidence, it has become necessary to set the record straight.

In response, Abubakar's camp, through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, vehemently denied the allegations of electoral manipulation. The Atiku campaign accused Lawal of attempting to tarnish the party and its members without providing any concrete evidence. They insisted that the ADC primaries were conducted fairly across thousands of wards, resulting in a clear outcome that reflected the will of the party members.

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The truth is straightforward. The ADC presidential primaries were conducted across thousands of wards and produced a clear and decisive outcome.

Shaibu challenged Lawal to present documents, verifiable facts, credible witnesses, or any proof to substantiate his "sensational allegations." The Abubakar campaign also pointed to Lawal's alleged political inconsistency, noting his acceptance of outcomes from the same primary process in other contexts, though details were not fully elaborated in the provided text.

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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.