A leading member of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Babachir Lawal, has revealed that his decision to exit the African Democratic Congress (ADC) was not caused by his disagreement with Aisha Binani, but by what he described as alleged interference in the party’s presidential primary which produced Atiku Abubakar as its candidate.
Lawal made the clarification in an interview with Trust TV, where he spoke about his differences with Binani over the control of the party in Adamawa State and explained the circumstances behind his withdrawal from the ADC.
The former Secretary to the Government of the Federation said Binani’s aspiration to become governor of Adamawa State was unrelated to his decision to leave the party.
He explained that his main concern was the manner in which the ADC presidential primary was organised and the process that eventually saw Atiku emerge as the party’s presidential candidate.
Lawal disclosed that he supported Hayatudeen as his preferred presidential aspirant and was disappointed with the outcome of the primary.
He alleged that the exercise was influenced to favour Atiku, adding that the development played a major role in his decision to distance himself from the ADC.
He also recalled attempting to raise concerns about what he regarded as irregularities during the primary election.
However, Lawal said some party members advised him to accept the outcome because they depended on political activities for their livelihoods.
Lawal said he rejected the suggestion, insisting that his personal convictions would not allow him to ignore what he considered wrongdoing simply because other people were willing to tolerate it for political or financial reasons.
“I can’t leave ADC because of Binani; Binani wants to be governor. I left because of the way Atiku manipulated the primaries; it was clear,” Lawal said.
His comments therefore showed that his departure from the ADC was linked to his disagreement with the party’s presidential primary process rather than his political differences with Binani.
