‘You Are A Disappointed Political Actor’ – Atiku’s Camp Slams Babachir Lawal Over ADC Primary Claims

The camp of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has dismissed allegations made by a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, over the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary, saying he failed to present evidence to support his claims.

Naija News reports that Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, in a statement issued on Tuesday, described Lawal’s allegations as “an unfortunate cocktail of bitterness, conjecture, and political revisionism masquerading as public interest.”

The statement was in response to Lawal’s recent television interview, where he questioned the credibility of the ADC presidential primary and alleged that the process was manipulated.

Shaibu said Nigerians who watched the interview were presented with “a curious spectacle” of serious allegations without facts to back them up.

‘No Evidence Produced’

Atiku’s camp said Lawal spent a long time making claims about the conduct of the primary but failed to provide any document, petition, result sheet or witness statement to substantiate them.

Shaibu said, “Mr Lawal spent nearly an hour making grave accusations about the conduct of the ADC presidential primary. Yet he failed to produce a single piece of verifiable evidence. No document. No petition. No result sheet. No witness statement. No recording. Nothing.

“For a man who repeatedly insisted that proof was ‘everywhere,’ his performance was a masterclass in making extraordinary allegations without meeting the elementary obligation of substantiating them.

“He arrived with accusations. He left with accusations. In between, the evidence never arrived.”

The former vice president’s aide argued that Lawal relied on unnamed sources and unverifiable accounts instead of concrete proof.

“Ordinarily, one would expect a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and former National Vice Chairman of a political party to understand the elementary distinction between evidence and suspicion. Instead, Nigerians were treated to stories about unnamed callers, unnamed officials, unnamed witnesses, and unnamed conspirators,” he stated.

Shaibu further alleged that Lawal’s criticisms were driven by disappointment over the outcome of the ADC primary and not genuine concern for internal democracy.

According to him, Lawal had openly supported another aspirant before the conclusion of the process and was now attempting to present personal grievance as public interest.

“What the interview ultimately revealed was not a whistleblower exposing wrongdoing but a disappointed political actor struggling to come to terms with the failure of his preferred candidate.

“By his own admission, Mr Lawal openly aligned himself with another aspirant long before the conclusion of the process. He campaigned for that candidate, promoted that candidate, and publicly believed that candidate should emerge victorious. Having failed in that objective, he now seeks to dress personal disappointment in the borrowed robes of moral outrage,” Shaibu said.

‘Contradictory Claims’

Atiku’s camp also faulted Lawal’s comments on the former vice president’s political relevance, describing them as contradictory.

Shaibu said Lawal attempted to portray Atiku as politically weak and, at the same time, powerful enough to manipulate a nationwide primary process.

“Perhaps the most laughable contradiction in Mr Lawal’s performance was his attempt to portray Atiku Abubakar as both politically irrelevant and politically omnipotent at the same time.

“According to his own account, Atiku was inactive, unpopular, and absent from the field. Yet Nigerians are simultaneously expected to believe that this same supposedly dormant politician somehow orchestrated a nationwide conspiracy across 8,809 wards,” the statement said.

Shaibu maintained that such claims underestimated the judgment of ADC members who participated in the process across the country.

“What makes this theory particularly absurd is that it requires Nigerians to believe that thousands of ADC members across the federation abandoned their own judgment and surrendered their votes to an invisible conspiracy directed by a man whom Mr Lawal simultaneously describes as politically inactive,” he added.

Beyond the dispute over the ADC primary, Shaibu also criticised Lawal over comments he reportedly made regarding his relationship with President Bola Tinubu.

He said Lawal’s remarks raised questions that Nigerians would interpret for themselves.

“More revealing, however, was Mr Lawal’s astonishing confession on national television that if he ever needed money, all he had to do was call President Tinubu and the money would reach him before he got home.

“Nigerians heard him. Nigerians understood him. And Nigerians can draw their own conclusions from the implications of such a remarkable declaration,” the statement added.

‘Language Of Grievance’

Shaibu accused Lawal of attempting to weaken Atiku’s support among Christian communities in the Middle Belt and other parts of the country.

He said the former SGF’s comments were driven more by grievance than reason.

“The tragedy of Mr Lawal’s intervention is that he appears to have become so consumed by bitterness that he no longer recognises the difference between evidence and speculation. Every outcome he dislikes is rigging. Every defeat is a conspiracy. Every disagreement becomes proof of manipulation. This is not the language of reason. It is the language of grievance,” he said.

The statement also rejected Lawal’s claim that Atiku had “absolutely nothing” to offer politically.

Shaibu said Nigerians were aware of the former vice president’s record in government, especially during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

“Nigerians know Atiku Abubakar’s record. They know his role in the liberalisation of the telecommunications sector, his contributions to economic reforms, private sector development, education, and national growth,” Shaibu stated.