A fresh rift has opened within the opposition camp after former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, resigned from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), insisting that the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, cannot defeat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election.
Lawal announced his departure from the party on Monday, alleging that the ADC presidential primary was manipulated in favour of Atiku.
According to him, the process fell short of democratic standards and convinced him that the party could no longer serve as the political alternative he had hoped for.
The former SGF argued that backing Atiku would effectively hand Tinubu a second term in office.
“For me, supporting Atiku Abubakar would amount to clearing the path for President Tinubu’s re-election,” Lawal said.
“In fact, I have come to believe that Tinubu may ultimately perform better than Atiku, despite my reservations about the current administration.”
Lawal, who previously served as ADC’s North-East Zonal Chairman, claimed the party’s internal elections were heavily skewed in favour of Atiku and his allies.
He alleged that results were altered and candidates replaced to ensure outcomes favourable to the former vice president.
“I am leaving because the primaries were massively rigged in favour of Atiku. In many cases, results were simply written or rewritten to favour him and his political associates. What happened was a complete charade,” he said.
The former APC chieftain further accused Atiku’s camp of pursuing what he described as divisive political interests and said he could not, in good conscience, remain part of the project.
Lawal also questioned Atiku’s leadership credentials, expressing disappointment that many northern politicians had rallied behind him despite the region’s worsening poverty and insecurity.
“I expected Northerners who insisted on a northern president to support someone capable of reversing the region’s decline, not someone I consider unfit for the task,” he stated.
He predicted that Atiku’s political project would eventually run into difficulties against the ruling APC’s political machinery.
“My expectation is that Atiku and those behind his emergence will eventually meet a political structure far more sophisticated and ruthless than theirs.
When that happens, the project will collapse under its own contradictions,” he said.
Lawal said he would spend the coming weeks consulting with political associates before deciding his next move.
Atiku Camp Fires Back
Atiku’s camp dismissed the allegations, accusing Lawal of attacking the primary process simply because his preferred candidate lost.
In a statement issued by Atiku’s media aide, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president’s camp said Lawal had failed to provide any evidence to support his claims.
“What appears to be troubling Mr. Lawal is not the conduct of the election but the outcome,” Shaibu said.
“Democracy guarantees participation, not victory. You cannot praise a process when it favours you and condemns it when it does not.”
Shaibu also pointed out that Lawal had accepted the emergence of candidates linked to him in other contests conducted during the same primary exercise.
“If the process was truly fraudulent, then consistency would require him to reject every outcome from it.
Instead, he has chosen to embrace the results that favour him while rejecting those that do not,” he said.
The Atiku camp maintained that the presidential primary was conducted across thousands of wards nationwide and produced a clear winner.
According to Shaibu, Lawal’s allegations remain unsupported by facts.
“He has produced no documents, no witnesses and no credible evidence to back his claims of manipulation,” the statement added.
The former vice president’s camp also accused Lawal of resorting to ethnic and religious narratives after failing to secure support for his preferred candidate.
“Having failed politically, he now seeks refuge in divisive rhetoric. Nigerians are more concerned about inflation, insecurity, unemployment and the rising cost of living than personal grievances over party primaries,” Shaibu said.
The exchange marks the latest sign of growing tensions within the opposition coalition as political parties begin positioning for the 2027 presidential race.
