Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has resigned from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), accusing the party’s presidential primary of being manipulated in favour of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Lawal announced his departure in a statement shared on his Facebook page on Monday, saying he could no longer remain in a party whose primary process he described as compromised.
“I am exiting the ADC because its just concluded primaries were at all levels massively rigged in favour Kachalla Abubakar Atiku,” he said.
Atiku emerged as the party’s presidential candidate after defeating former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi and businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen in the primary election.
Lawal alleged that the outcome was manipulated, claiming that results were altered to favour Atiku and his camp, while legitimate winners were replaced in some areas.
“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 said.
He added that his decision was driven by concerns that similar practices could be repeated in the 2027 general election.
Lawal also accused Atiku and some of his allies of advancing ethnic and religious interests rather than focusing on national development, adding that backing Atiku’s ambition could make it easier for President Bola Tinubu to secure re-election in 2027.
“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,” he said.
The resignation comes amid ongoing controversy surrounding the ADC presidential primary held on May 25, with Hayatu-Deen and Amaechi both previously raising concerns over alleged irregularities in the process.
