Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s presidential ambition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), while also questioning the party’s handling of its governorship primary in Adamawa State.
Lawal made the comments in a Facebook post published on Sunday titled “Kachalla Series Three.” In the post, he alleged that the ADC replaced the candidate who emerged from its governorship primary with another aspirant.
According to Lawal, Engr. Umar Suleiman won the party’s primary but was subsequently replaced by Tukur Moddibo. He alleged that ethnic and religious considerations influenced the decision and further accused Atiku of playing a role in the purported substitution.
Lawal described Suleiman as a “very competent and experienced gentleman” and argued that he would have been a strong candidate for the party.
He also compared the process through which the ADC and the All Progressives Congress (APC) selected their governorship candidates to purchasing products from the online marketplace TEMU.
Commenting on Atiku’s presidential ambition, Lawal similarly used the comparison to mock the former vice president’s candidacy.
The former SGF alleged that the decision to replace Suleiman was influenced by ethnic considerations and claimed that Atiku pressured the ADC leadership in favour of Moddibo.
However, neither Atiku nor the ADC had responded to the allegations as of the time of filing this report.
Lawal further alleged that the substitution violated provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, the ADC Constitution and the party’s primary election guidelines.
He said he intended to challenge the matter in court, arguing that the judiciary should determine whether the party followed due process in selecting its governorship candidate.
Describing the alleged substitution as “criminal,” Lawal said it would be tested in court and claimed that the process would ultimately fail if found to be inconsistent with the law and the party’s rules.
He also predicted that voters in Adamawa State would reject what he described as an attempt to impose a candidate on the electorate.
According to Lawal, voters have several political alternatives ahead of the governorship election and should be allowed to freely choose their preferred candidate.
He concluded by predicting that both the ADC and APC could suffer defeat in the Adamawa governorship contest, saying the people of the state would ultimately determine the outcome at the ballot box.
