Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has renewed his allegation that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary was manipulated to favour former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Lawal made the claim during an interview, while explaining his decision to leave the ADC and his opposition to Atiku’s emergence as the party’s presidential candidate.
The former SGF said he initially supported Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, whom he considered the strongest candidate among those who contested the ADC presidential ticket.
According to Lawal, he was involved in the process of setting up the electoral committee for the primary in Adamawa State. He alleged that Hayatu-Deen secured the highest number of votes in the state but claimed that the figures were subsequently altered during collation.
Lawal alleged that votes recorded for Hayatu-Deen were eventually credited to Atiku. He said he questioned the development but was allegedly told that the party could not afford to embarrass Atiku.
The former SGF said his objections did not change the outcome, which eventually saw Atiku declared winner of the primary ahead of former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen.
Atiku secured 1,846,370 votes, while Amaechi polled 504,117 and Hayatu-Deen received 177,120 votes. Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen had both rejected the outcome of the exercise.
Lawal subsequently resigned from the ADC, saying he could not remain in a political party where he believed the internal electoral process had been compromised. He has since joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and continued to criticise Atiku’s candidacy.
However, Atiku’s camp has rejected the allegations, saying Lawal failed to provide evidence to substantiate his claims. The former vice president’s representatives maintained that the primary reflected the choice of party members and questioned Lawal’s decision to make the allegations publicly rather than formally presenting evidence to the party.
The controversy comes as opposition groups continue to make political alignments ahead of the 2027 general election.
