Atiku Accuses Babachir Lawal of Unfounded Claims About ADC Primary Election

Former Vice‑President Atiku Abubakar dismissed claims made by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary had been rigged in his favor.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by his media aide, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said Lawal had offered no evidence to back his accusations, calling the allegations “speculation without evidence” and “an unfortunate cocktail of bitterness, conjecture, and political revisionism masquerading as public interest.”

“Mr Lawal spent nearly an hour making grave accusations about the conduct of the ADC presidential primary. Yet he failed to produce a single piece of verifiable evidence,” the statement read.

“No document. No petition. No result sheet. No witness statement. No recording. Nothing.”

Atiku argued that Lawal’s remarks were motivated by disappointment after his preferred candidate lost the primary.

“What the interview ultimately revealed was not a whistleblower exposing wrongdoing but a disappointed political actor struggling to come to terms with the failure of his preferred candidate,” Atiku said.

He added that Lawal had openly supported another aspirant before the primary and was now attempting to present his frustration as a moral concern.

Atiku also rejected allegations that he had influenced the outcome of the primary nationwide, stating that it was unrealistic to suggest he could control the votes of thousands of party members across the country.

He further criticized Lawal’s recent claim that he could easily obtain financial assistance from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu if needed.

“More revealing, however, was Mr Lawal’s astonishing confession on national television that if he ever needed money, all he had to do was call President Tinubu and the money would reach him before he got home,” Atiku said.

He said Nigerians have heard and seen him, and they can draw their own conclusions from the implications of such a remarkable declaration.