Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, on Monday announced his resignation from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), citing what he described as the party’s abandonment of internal democracy.

Lawal, in a statement posted on his verified social media account, accused the party of manipulating its presidential and other primaries to favour former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and his allies. He alleged that legitimate candidates were sidelined and that some election outcomes had been predetermined.

The former SGF said he could no longer remain in a party that, in his view, had become a vehicle for securing Atiku’s emergence as president in 2027.

His resignation came just three days after the ADC concluded its presidential primary and declared Atiku as its presidential candidate.

Political observers say Lawal’s decision may not be unconnected with his longstanding support for former Anambra State governor Peter Obi, whom he backed during the 2023 presidential election.

Party sources also suggested that Lawal may have become disenchanted with the ADC following Obi’s departure from the party but chose to wait until after the presidential primary before making his position public.

His exit has drawn renewed attention to the ADC, particularly in Adamawa State, where the party remains one of its strongest structures due to Atiku’s political influence and support base.

The rift

Findings revealed that tension over the control of the ADC structure in Adamawa State had been simmering long before Lawal’s resignation.

The struggle involved key political figures within the party, including Atiku Abubakar, Babachir Lawal and Senator Aishatu Binani, with each camp seeking influence over the party’s leadership structure in the state.

Sources said Atiku backed Barrister Sadiq Dasin for the position of state chairman, while Binani supported Sai’du Komsiri. Lawal, on the other hand, insisted that Comrade Shehu Yohanna, leader of the legacy party structure, should remain in office.

The dispute eventually found its way to the courts and, after a series of legal battles, the Court of Appeal sitting in Yola reportedly recognised Dasin as state chairman.

Party insiders said that despite an earlier arrangement among the legacy group, the transition bloc and Binani’s camp to share the party structure, the agreement was not fully implemented, leading to further mistrust among stakeholders.

At the formative stage of the ADC coalition, Atiku was said to have endorsed Lawal as the party’s North-East National Vice Chairman. Sources also alleged that attempts were made to replace Yohanna with a former state vice chairman, Mustapha Arabi.

The leadership tussle again ended in court, where a High Court in Yola reportedly affirmed Yohanna’s position as chairman.

Further divisions emerged when Lawal constituted a transition caretaker committee led by Dasin to oversee the affairs of the party in the state. In response, Umar Bello Jada – a member of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) and a key ally of Senator Binani, reportedly backed a parallel structure led by Sai’du Komsiri.

The emergence of parallel leadership structures deepened the crisis and weakened the party’s cohesion in Adamawa, prompting fresh litigation over the legitimate leadership of the state chapter.

Although a court ruling later favoured Komsiri, disputes persisted until Atiku intervened in a bid to reconcile the factions and restore stability within the party.

Analysts weigh in

A political analyst, Huram King, linked Lawal’s latest political move to positions he had taken in the past.

According to him, Lawal opposed the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2023 elections and subsequently backed Peter Obi.

“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 Lawal’s resignation, Yusuf Sheriff said the development did not come as a 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, criticised Lawal’s style of leadership, alleging that it contributed to the departure of several prominent politicians from the party.

Jimeta claimed that Senator 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.

He further claimed that another aspirant, Dujima, stepped down from the race due to pressure from party leaders.

However, the spokesman of the party in Adamawa State, Martins Dickson, said the party had yet to take an official position on Lawal’s resignation.

According to him, politics is largely driven by personal convictions and interests, and Lawal has every right to make his political choices.

“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 say the development could deepen divisions within the opposition and further complicate efforts to build a united front against the ruling party.

Babachir: A tale of protests

Lawal’s political differences with some leaders of the APC date back to the build-up to the 2023 elections.

He openly opposed the party’s decision to field Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima on a Muslim-Muslim ticket and subsequently backed Peter Obi of the Labour Party in the presidential election.

Since then, relations between Lawal and key figures within the APC have remained strained.

When Atiku later moved to the ADC, Lawal also joined the party, raising expectations that both politicians could work together within the same platform. Those expectations, however, appear to have faded with his resignation.

Meanwhile, Atiku Abubakar has dismissed Lawal’s criticisms of the ADC presidential primary, describing them as unfounded.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku’s camp said Lawal failed to provide evidence to support his allegations that the primary was manipulated.

The statement described Lawal’s claims as speculative and insisted that the presidential primary was conducted across thousands of wards and produced a clear outcome.

“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.

It further accused the former SGF of allowing disappointment over the outcome of the primary to influence his public comments.

The statement also questioned what it described as contradictions in Lawal’s position, arguing that he condemned alleged electoral malpractice while praising what he once referred to as President Tinubu’s “superior rigging machine.”

According to Atiku’s camp, Lawal also failed to explain why he accepted the outcome of the governorship primary in Adamawa State, where his cousin Omar Suleiman emerged as the party’s governorship candidate.

“Such behaviour is not driven by principle. It is driven by disappointment,” the statement added.

The Presidency also reacted to Lawal’s resignation, describing it as a setback for Atiku and the ADC.

Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, in a post on X, said Lawal’s departure amounted to a strong rejection of both Atiku and the party.

“Babachir David Lawal just handed Atiku Abubakar and his captured ADC a stinging rebuke, along with a bitter divorce,” Onanuga wrote while sharing Lawal’s resignation statement.

We’ll resolve it — ADC

When contacted by Daily Trust, ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi downplayed the development.

In a brief response, he simply said: “We will resolve it.”

The Atiku Media Office described the comments on the person on the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress as needless.

It said, “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.

A statement by the Media office in Abuja, explained that, while former SGF Babachir Lawal has the right to resign from ADC and is free to do so because political parties are voluntary associations of people, he is not entitled to cast aspersions on Atiku based entirely on fabricated and brazen lies.

According to the statement, accusing Atiku of religious bigotry or nepotism is one of the laziest and most ridiculous lies anyone can spread against the former Vice President.

The statement explained that Atiku Abubakar is one of the most liberal politicians in Nigeria and his record in this regard is there for anyone to verify.

“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,” the statement added.

The statement noted further 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 advised Lawal to search his conscience and stop feeding the cauldron of division and bigotry among Nigerians for his own selfish interests.

“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”, it said. (Daily Trust)