Atiku replies Babachir, dismisses ADC primary rigging claims

The presidential campaign of Atiku Abubakar has strongly refuted allegations of rigging in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary, leveled by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal. Lawal, who announced his resignation from the ADC on Monday, claimed that Abubakar influenced the primary's outcome. In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Abubakar's camp rejected Lawal's claims, asserting that the primary accurately reflected the will of the party members nationwide. The campaign accused Lawal of attempting to malign the party and its members without providing any evidence. "The truth is straightforward. The ADC presidential primaries were conducted across thousands of wards and produced a clear and decisive outcome," the statement read. Shaibu argued that Lawal failed to present any documents, verifiable facts, credible witnesses, or proof to support his allegations of electoral manipulation. Furthermore, Abubakar's camp pointed to Lawal's alleged political inconsistency. They highlighted his acceptance of results from the same primary process in other contests, specifically mentioning Adamawa State, where his cousin, Omar Suleiman, emerged as the ADC governorship candidate. This, they argued, raised questions about whether Lawal deemed the process credible only when it favored his family. The statement also touched upon Lawal's public image as a critic of corruption, referencing controversies from his tenure as SGF under former President Muhammadu Buhari, including allegations linked to contracts awarded through the Presidential Initiative on the North-East.

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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.