Atiku’s Camp: We Wish Babachir Lawal Well in His Decision to Retreat to the Farm

The Media Office of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has dismissed allegations by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal , that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primaries were rigged, describing his claims as baseless and driven by disappointment over the outcome of the exercise. In a strongly worded statement issued on Monday, Atiku’s camp said Lawal’s criticism of the primaries amounted to an attack on a democratic process that involved thousands of party members across the country. The statement said Lawal failed to provide any evidence to support his allegations of electoral manipulation, insisting that the ADC presidential primary was conducted transparently and produced a clear outcome. “Ordinarily, Mr. Lawal’s latest excursion into political fiction would not merit a response. However, having chosen to malign a democratic process, insult thousands of ADC members nationwide, and make grave allegations without presenting a shred of evidence, it has become necessary to set the record straight,” the statement read. “It is perhaps the greatest irony of this entire episode that Mr. Babachir Lawal now seeks to reinvent himself as Nigeria’s newest apostle of integrity, transparency, and democratic virtue. Nigerians may forgive many things, but they seldom forget history. Mr. Lawal is not remembered for any celebrated crusade for accountability. Rather, he remains one of the most prominent public officials ever removed from office under the cloud of the infamous grass-cutting contract scandal. “It is therefore remarkable that a man whose public service career became synonymous with questions of conflict of interest and abuse of office now wishes to lecture Nigerians on electoral integrity. “That one of the most recognizable faces from that era now seeks to occupy the moral high ground is not merely ironic; it is political satire writing itself. Before accusing others of operating a “rigging machine,” Mr. Lawal should first explain why Nigerians should suddenly erase from their memory one of the most embarrassing chapters in the history of public accountability and accept him as the nation’s new custodian of democratic morality.” It also questioned what it described as contradictions in Lawal’s position, noting that while he condemned alleged electoral malpractice in the ADC primary, he had at the same time spoken admiringly of what he termed President Tinubu’s “superior rigging machine.” The statement further accused Lawal of selectively rejecting the outcome of the primaries, pointing out that he had not challenged the emergence of his cousin, Omar Suleiman, as the ADC governorship candidate in Adamawa State. “If the ADC primaries were truly the sham Mr. Lawal now portrays them to be, intellectual honesty would require him to reject every outcome arising from that exercise, including the emergence of his cousin,” the statement added. Atiku’s camp also dismissed Lawal’s criticism of the former vice president’s family, arguing that Nigerians were more concerned about economic hardship, insecurity and unemployment than personal attacks on political figures. The media office maintained that Atiku remained one of Nigeria’s most recognisable political leaders with nationwide appeal, stressing that democracy guarantees participation but not victory. “What appears to have truly unsettled Mr. Lawal is not the conduct of the primaries but the outcome. Democracy guarantees participation, not victory,” the statement said. In a sarcastic conclusion, Atiku’s camp said it wished Lawal well in what it described as his decision to return to his village farm. “As for Mr. Lawal’s decision to retreat to his village farm, we sincerely wish him well. Given his enduring association with the grass-cutting scandal that defined his exit from public office, the farm may indeed be a fitting destination,” the statement said. The media office added that the 2027 presidential election would ultimately be decided by Nigerians and not by what it described as post-primary grievances, conspiracy theories or personal attacks. It insisted that Atiku remained focused on addressing Nigeria’s economic and security challenges, while dismissing Lawal’s criticisms as the reaction of a politician struggling to come to terms with an unfavourable political outcome.