Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has responded to allegations of rigging made by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Lawal Babachir. In a strongly worded statement, Atiku described Babachir as a person who lacks accountability and integrity, referencing his infamous grass-cutting contract scandal that led to his removal from office.
Atiku's Media Office Responds
In a statement from the Atiku Media Office, signed by Phrank Shaibu, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication to the ADC presidential candidate, it was noted that the lengthy and emotionally charged outburst by Babachir Lawal following the ADC presidential primaries was taken note of. The statement said, "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."
Babachir's History Questioned
The statement highlighted the irony of Babachir Lawal reinventing himself as an 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," the statement added.
It further emphasized 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," the statement read.
Allegations Without Evidence
The statement clarified that the ADC presidential primaries were conducted across thousands of wards and produced a clear and decisive outcome. It accused Babachir of offering no evidence, documents, verifiable facts, or credible witnesses to support his sensational allegations. Instead, he served up a cocktail of disappointment, bitterness, conspiracy theories, and personal attacks against a political leader whose national appeal transcends factional politics.
Contradictions in Babachir's Statement
The statement pointed out a contradiction in Babachir's outburst. "In one breath, he condemns what he calls electoral manipulation. In the next, he openly admires and celebrates what he describes as President Tinubu's 'superior rigging machine.' Nigerians are therefore entitled to ask a simple question: if rigging is indeed an unforgivable crime, why does Mr. Lawal appear almost fascinated by it when he imagines it might serve his preferred political outcome?"
It further noted that one cannot denounce electoral malpractice while simultaneously praising its supposed efficiency elsewhere.
Ethnic and Religious Prejudice Condemned
The statement condemned Babachir's resort to ethnic and religious prejudice after failing to persuade ADC members to embrace his preferred candidate. "Such rhetoric neither unites Nigeria nor addresses the hardship confronting ordinary citizens. It creates no jobs, lowers no food prices, secures no communities, and offers no pathway out of the national crisis. It merely exposes the desperation of a politician struggling to reconcile himself with political reality," the statement said.
Selective Outrage Exposed
The statement highlighted another inconsistency: Babachir failed to explain how the same primary process he now dismisses as fraudulent produced a result he appears willing to accept in Adamawa State, where his cousin, Omar Suleiman, emerged as the ADC governorship candidate. "Nigerians are entitled to ask whether the process was only credible when it favoured his family and only rigged when it produced a presidential candidate he did not support," the statement said.
It added that if the ADC primaries were truly a sham, intellectual honesty would require Babachir to reject every outcome from that exercise, including his cousin's emergence. Instead, he chose selective outrage, embracing results that suit his interests while condemning those that do not.
Attack on Atiku's Family Irrelevant
The statement described Babachir's attack on Atiku Abubakar's family as unfortunate and entirely irrelevant. "Nigerians understand the difference between family and public office. What concerns ordinary citizens today is not how many children a politician has, but how many children are going to bed hungry. What concerns them is not family size but the crushing economic burden imposed by failed policies," the statement said.
It listed pressing issues such as parents struggling to pay school fees, businesses collapsing, communities living under insecurity, and families budgeting for ransom payments. These are the issues that truly matter.
Atiku's Record Defended
The statement affirmed that the Nigerian people know Atiku Abubakar, his record in public service, achievements in business, commitment to national unity and economic reform. He remains one of the few political leaders whose appeal cuts across ethnicity, religion, geography, and social class. "That reality explains why his opponents devote so much energy to attacking his person rather than confronting his ideas or challenging his vision for Nigeria," the statement said.
Democracy Guarantees Participation, Not Victory
The statement emphasized that what appears to have unsettled Babachir is not the conduct of the primaries but the outcome. "Democracy guarantees participation, not victory. One cannot celebrate democracy when it produces a preferred result and suddenly condemn it as rigged when it does not," the statement said.
Babachir's Retreat to Village Farm
Regarding Babachir's decision to retreat to his village farm, the statement wished 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. There, surrounded by fields in need of trimming, he may finally find the grass-cutting assignment that has become inseparable from his political legacy," the statement said.
It added that while tending those fields, he may occasionally encounter snakes slithering through the grass, a reminder of the era when Nigerians were asked to believe that reptiles had developed an appetite for public funds. "It was a time when accountability seemed to disappear into thin air and absurd explanations competed with reality," the statement said.
Opportunity for Reflection
The statement expressed hope that the peace and quiet of rural life would offer Babachir an opportunity for reflection on how a generation of public officials associated with grass-cutting scandals, snake tales, and vanishing accountability now seeks to present itself as the guardian of democratic virtue. Meanwhile, millions of Nigerians remain focused on identifying leaders capable of confronting economic hardship, insecurity, unemployment, and national decline with serious solutions rather than sensational allegations.
Atiku Focused on Solutions
The statement concluded, "While others manufacture conspiracies, Atiku Abubakar remains focused on solutions. While others traffic in bitterness, he remains committed to national unity. While others dwell on personal grievances and political disappointments, he remains focused on restoring prosperity, security, and opportunity to millions of Nigerians."
It emphasized that the 2027 election will not be decided by tantrums, ethnic dog whistles, recycled grievances, or revisionist history. It will be decided by the Nigerian people, and no amount of post-primary bitterness can alter that reality.
