Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, resigned from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Monday, accusing the party of abandoning internal democracy and manipulating its presidential primary to favour former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
In a statement posted on his verified social media account, Lawal alleged that the party sidelined legitimate candidates and predetermined the outcomes of its presidential and other primaries. He said he could no longer remain in a party that had become, in his view, a vehicle for securing Atiku’s emergence as president in 2027.
Lawal announced his departure just three days after the ADC concluded its presidential primary and elected Atiku as its presidential candidate.
Political observers linked the resignation to Lawal’s longstanding support for Peter Obi, whom he backed during the 2023 presidential election. Party sources also suggested that Lawal became disillusioned with the ADC after Obi left the party but delayed making his position public until after the presidential primary.
His exit has renewed attention on the ADC in Adamawa State, where Atiku maintains one of the party’s strongest political structures.
Power Struggle in Adamawa
Investigations by Daily Trust revealed that tensions over control of the ADC structure in Adamawa had been building long before Lawal’s resignation.
The struggle involved Atiku, Lawal and Senator Aishatu Binani, with each camp seeking influence over the party’s leadership structure in the state.
Sources said Atiku supported Barrister Sadiq Dasin for state chairman, while Binani backed Sai’du Komsiri. Lawal, however, insisted that Comrade Shehu Yohanna, leader of the legacy party structure, should remain in office.
The dispute eventually reached the courts. After a series of legal battles, the Court of Appeal in Yola reportedly recognised Dasin as state chairman.
Party insiders said an earlier agreement among the legacy group, the transition bloc and Binani’s camp to share the party structure was never fully implemented, fuelling mistrust among stakeholders.
During the formation of the ADC coalition, Atiku reportedly endorsed Lawal as the party’s North-East National Vice Chairman. Sources also alleged that some stakeholders attempted to replace Yohanna with former state vice chairman Mustapha Arabi.
That leadership dispute also ended in court, where a High Court in Yola reportedly affirmed Yohanna’s position as chairman.
Fresh divisions emerged when Lawal established a transition caretaker committee led by Dasin to oversee party affairs in the state. In response, Umar Bello Jada, a member of the party’s National Working Committee and a close ally of Binani, reportedly supported a parallel structure headed by Komsiri.
The emergence of rival leadership structures deepened the crisis and weakened party unity in Adamawa, leading to further litigation over the legitimate leadership of the state chapter.
Although a later court ruling favoured Komsiri, disagreements continued until Atiku intervened in an attempt to reconcile the factions and restore stability.
Analysts Link Exit to Early Political Positions
Political analyst Huram King said Lawal’s latest move reflected positions he had consistently maintained since 2023.
“Babachir left the APC because he could not support the Muslim-Muslim ticket. He supported Peter Obi in 2023 and has remained consistent in his position since then,” he said.
Reacting to the resignation, Yusuf Sheriff said the development came as little surprise.
“We are not surprised by his exit. Many members have expected this for some time because of the disagreements that have existed within the party,” he said.
Another party stalwart, Chiroma Jimeta, blamed Lawal’s leadership style for the departure of several prominent politicians from the party.
Jimeta claimed that Binani left the ADC because of disagreements over the party’s direction and internal power dynamics. He also alleged that former Governor Jibrilla Bindow was denied the opportunity to secure the party’s governorship ticket because influential stakeholders opposed his candidacy.
According to Jimeta, another aspirant, Dujima, withdrew from the race after facing pressure from party leaders.
However, ADC spokesman Martins Dickson said the party had not yet taken an official position on Lawal’s resignation.
“What is important for the ADC is to remain focused on building a strong platform and preparing for the 2027 general elections,” he said.
Political analysts warned that the development could deepen divisions within the opposition and complicate efforts to build a united front against the ruling party.
Long-running Disagreements
Lawal’s differences with some APC leaders date back to the build-up to the 2023 elections.
He publicly opposed the party’s decision to field Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima on a Muslim-Muslim ticket and subsequently supported Peter Obi of the Labour Party in the presidential election.
Relations between Lawal and key APC figures have remained strained since then.
When Atiku later joined the ADC, Lawal also moved to the party, raising hopes that the two politicians could work together. Those expectations have now faded following Lawal’s resignation.
Atiku Rejects Allegations
Atiku dismissed Lawal’s criticisms of the ADC presidential primary as baseless.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku’s camp said Lawal had failed to provide evidence for his claims that the primary was manipulated.
“What Mr Lawal has offered Nigerians is not evidence. He has produced no documents, no verifiable facts, no credible witnesses and no proof whatsoever to support his allegations,” the statement said.
The statement argued that Lawal allowed disappointment over the primary outcome to influence his comments and accused him of contradicting himself by condemning alleged electoral malpractice while previously praising what he called President Tinubu’s “superior rigging machine.”
Atiku’s camp also questioned why Lawal accepted the outcome of the Adamawa governorship primary, where his cousin, Omar Suleiman, emerged as the party’s candidate.
“Such behaviour is not driven by principle. It is driven by disappointment,” the statement added.
Presidency Reacts
The Presidency also weighed in on the controversy.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga described Lawal’s resignation as a setback for both Atiku and the ADC.
“Babachir David Lawal just handed Atiku Abubakar and his captured ADC a stinging rebuke, along with a bitter divorce,” Onanuga wrote on X while sharing Lawal’s resignation statement.
ADC Vows to Resolve Conflict
When contacted by Daily Trust, ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi downplayed the development.
“We will resolve it,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Atiku Media Office strongly condemned Lawal’s remarks, describing them as false and divisive.
“Ordinarily, the verbal vituperation and the utter rubbish churned out by Babachir Lawal would have been better ignored as the ranting of a man high on substance, but for the overriding need to put the records straight,” the statement said.
The media office maintained that Lawal had every right to leave the ADC but accused him of making “fabricated and brazen lies” against Atiku.
According to the statement, allegations of religious bigotry and nepotism against Atiku were “one of the laziest and most ridiculous lies anyone can spread against the former Vice President.”
The statement added: “As far as we are concerned, Babachir was perfectly describing his own character rather than Atiku’s. The former SGF seeks power on the altar of dividing the people based on primordial sentiments. All his altercations with people are caused by his selfishness. He opportunistically panders to sentiments to achieve his ambition. None of his struggles are influenced by the larger interests of his people or Nigeria.”
It further stated that “a man who is a notorious conflict entrepreneur like Babachir Lawal is not qualified to speak about what is good for Nigeria.”
The statement urged Lawal to stop promoting division and bigotry, adding: “There is no such thing as a Muslim and Christian party in Nigeria. When the outcome of a competition doesn’t favour you, you should petition the party to show proof of manipulations or rigging. It’s however most irresponsible for a former SGF to turn himself into an agent of division.”
