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Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has formally severed ties with the African Democratic Congress, alleging that the party’s presidential primary was engineered to favour former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Lawal announced his departure from the party on Monday through a statement posted on his official Facebook page, declaring that he could not continue to associate with a political platform whose internal electoral process he considered compromised.
Explaining his decision, the former SGF alleged that the ADC primary lacked credibility and fairness from the outset.
“I am exiting the ADC because its just concluded primaries were at all levels massively rigged in favour Kachalla Abubakar Atiku,” Lawal said.
He further accused party leaders of manipulating results to ensure victory for Atiku and those aligned with him, claiming that even in locations where voting reportedly took place, outcomes were allegedly altered.
“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.
Lawal maintained that remaining in the ADC would amount to endorsing a political structure he believes could influence future elections in a similar manner. He said he preferred to distance himself from the party rather than be associated with what he described as an unfair process.
Read also: Wike Alleges ADC primary was rigged for Atiku, says Amaechi walked into a political trap
His resignation adds another layer of controversy to the ADC presidential primary conducted on May 25, 2026, which produced Atiku as the party’s standard-bearer for the 2027 presidential election.
The party announced that Atiku secured 1,846,370 votes to emerge victorious, defeating former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, who polled 504,117 votes, and businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, who finished with 177,120 votes.
The exercise had generated controversy even before the declaration of results, with some aspirants questioning the credibility of the process.
Hayatu-Deen publicly dissociated himself from the primary before the final announcement, citing concerns over alleged vote manipulation and irregularities. Amaechi also voiced reservations about the conduct of the election, alleging that the process failed to meet expected standards of transparency and fairness.
Despite those objections, efforts have since been made to calm tensions within the party. Following a meeting with Atiku, Hayatu-Deen indicated that he would not challenge the outcome of the contest, saying party cohesion and the broader objective of building a formidable opposition were more important than pursuing personal political interests.
Lawal, however, has chosen a different path.
The former SGF said he would embark on consultations with political allies and associates before deciding his next political move, while making it clear that he would continue to oppose Atiku’s quest for the presidency.
The post Babachir quits ADC, accuses party of manipulating primary for Atiku appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from Ripples Nigeria.
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