Babachir Lawal Accuses NDC Governorship Candidate, Binani Of Backing Atiku

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has accused the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate in Adamawa State, Aisha Binani, of backing the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, amid a fresh dispute over his leadership role in the NDC.

Naija News reports that Lawal, who recently joined the NDC, made the allegation on Monday in a post on his official Facebook page.

His comments followed reports that six NDC governorship candidates in the North-East had rejected his appointment as the party’s leader in the region. The six candidates have publicly said they do not recognise Lawal in the position, describing their decision as collective, firm and final.

While reacting to the development, Lawal alleged that Binani was behind the protest and accused her of supporting Atiku rather than the NDC presidential ticket of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso.

He also said the NDC governorship candidates in Gombe and Taraba states had contacted him to distance themselves from the statement rejecting his appointment.

Lawal described the protest as a charade and said he was organising it, he said, by what he called a female pretender to the governorship candidacy of Adamawa State.

“My attention has been drawn to a trending story on social media to the effect that six so-called gubernatorial candidates of the Nigeria Democratic Congress are protesting my joining the party and my appointment as the leader of the party in the North-Eastern Zone of the party.

“I have it on good authority that the charade is being led and organised by a female pretender to the governorship candidacy of Adamawa State,” he wrote.

Lawal said he was not troubled by the opposition to his appointment, maintaining that the national leadership that brought him into the party should handle the matter.

He said he neither requested nor received a formal offer for the position before the announcement.

“It is important to note that this matter of protest is of no worry to me. I consider it to be a matter for the national leadership of the party, which recruited me into the party and declared me the National Leader of the party in the North-East and North-Central zones of the party.

“No formal offer was made to me, nor did I request to be so appointed before the announcement was made. I had accepted it in good faith as a mark of respect to Senator Dickson, Mr Obi and Kwankwaso, all of whom I highly respect and to whom I could not say no,” he stated.