Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has resigned from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), alleging widespread manipulation of the party’s recently concluded primaries in favour of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.
Lawal, in a strongly worded statement on Monday, described the ADC primaries as “massively rigged” and a “disgraceful charade,” insisting that the exercise was compromised at all levels to advantage Atiku and his political allies.
The former SGF claimed that in several constituencies, results were allegedly “written and rewritten,” while genuine winners of party tickets were removed and replaced with individuals loyal to what he described as Atiku’s inner political circle.
He further alleged that the internal democratic process of the party had been undermined by what he termed a “conspiracy of silence,” warning that he could not remain in a political platform where, according to him, fairness had been sacrificed.
“I am exiting the ADC because its just-concluded primaries were at all levels massively rigged in favour of Kachalla Abubakar Atiku,” Lawal said.
He added that “results were just written or rewritten to favour him and his coven,” alleging that even where elections were conducted, “winners were simply replaced with members of his syndicate.”
Lawal argued that his continued membership of the party would amount to complicity in what he described as plans that could influence the outcome of the 2027 general elections.
According to him, staying in the ADC would make him unwillingly support a structure he believes could strengthen the chances of President Bola Tinubu’s re-election, a scenario he said he is not comfortable with.
“For me, working for Kachalla Atiku means giving Tinubu an automatic ticket to a second term,” he said, adding that the political choice ahead of 2027 presents what he described as a difficult “Morton’s fork.”
The former SGF also criticised the broader political direction of opposition politics, alleging that internal struggles and leadership ambitions were weakening efforts at providing credible alternatives.
Lawal, who hinted at stepping back from active partisan engagement, said he would return to his rural base while consulting with allies on future political direction ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He maintained that his decision was based on principle and dissatisfaction with what he called the erosion of internal democracy within the ADC.
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