ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The camp of African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has dismissed allegations by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, that the party’s presidential primary was manipulated, insisting that no credible evidence was presented to support the claim.
In a statement issued on Monday by Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former Vice President’s camp described Lawal’s allegations as unsubstantiated and politically motivated.
The statement said it had become necessary to respond to the claims after Lawal allegedly sought to discredit a democratic process without providing proof.
“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,” the statement read.
VONa reports that Lawal had resigned from the ADC earlier on Monday, criticising the outcome of the party’s presidential primary and alleging that the process was influenced in favour of Atiku.
However, Atiku’s camp maintained that the exercise was transparent, credible and reflected the wishes of party members across the country.
Shaibu said the former SGF failed to provide any verifiable proof to support his allegations.
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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.
“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,” he stated.
The statement also questioned Lawal’s consistency, noting that he appeared willing to accept outcomes from the same process when they favoured individuals close to him.
According to Shaibu, Lawal had not explained why he accepted the outcome in Adamawa State, where his cousin, Omar Suleiman, emerged as the ADC governorship candidate, while rejecting the presidential primary result.
“Mr Lawal has also failed to explain how the very same primary process he now dismisses as fraudulent somehow produced a result he appears perfectly willing to accept in Adamawa State, where his cousin, Omar Suleiman, emerged as the ADC governorship candidate.
“Nigerians are entitled to ask whether the process was only credible when it favoured his family and only rigged when it produced a presidential candidate he did not support,” Shaibu added.
The Atiku camp further referenced Lawal’s past controversies, including his removal as SGF in 2017 over allegations relating to contract awards under the Presidential Initiative on the North-East, popularly known as the “grass-cutting scandal.” Lawal has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Shaibu argued that Lawal’s latest criticism was driven more by disappointment over the outcome of the primary than by concerns about internal democracy within the party.
“What appears to have truly unsettled Mr Lawal is not the conduct of the primaries but the outcome. Democracy guarantees participation, not victory. One cannot celebrate democracy when it produces a preferred result and suddenly condemn it as rigged when it does not,” the statement said.
The Atiku camp also criticised attempts to introduce ethnic or religious sentiments into internal party disagreements, warning that such rhetoric could deepen divisions and distract from substantive issues.
It maintained that Atiku remains focused on national challenges ahead of the 2027 general election and stressed that Nigerians would ultimately determine the outcome of the presidential contest based on issues such as governance, economic recovery and security.
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