Fresh facts have emerged explaining why former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, dumped the African Democratic Congress (ADC). According to competent sources within the party, his ambition to become the running mate to former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, had crashed, prompting his exit.
The sources revealed that Lawal's personal interest in becoming the party's Vice Chairman from the North East also fuelled the Nafiu Bala Gombe crisis within the ADC. Lawal had positioned himself as running mate to any southern candidate that would emerge and was rattled when Peter Obi, his first option, ditched the ADC.
Our source said Lawal then turned attention and vigorously worked for the emergence of Amaechi behind the scenes but again failed. Although Lawal in his statement took a deep swipe at the ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and accused the party of rigging the process, investigations reveal otherwise.
Lawal also appeared to side with foremost economist Mohammed Hayatu-Dee while describing Atiku in derogatory words. However, sources said his crashed ambition was the main reason for leaving the ADC.
According to a source: "I am not surprised because I know the man you are talking about. This is not the first time he will be leaving a party because of personal vision. In 2022 he left the APC because he wanted to be running mate to Tinubu and was denied. This time he was rooting to become Peter Obi's running mate until Obi left the ADC, then he focused on Rotimi Amaechi. The moment Amaechi could not make it, I knew he would come up with an excuse and try to discredit the process. But unfortunately his departure won't change anything because I can't see his electoral value from the North East or Adamawa state where our presidential candidate also hails."
The source added: "Let me remind you that it was because of his personal ambition of becoming National Vice Chairman that led to the Nafiu Bala Gombe conundrum. He assured us he would address Gombe and should be allowed to have the National Vice Chairman. The moment he got it, he said to hell with Nafiu Bala. So I know the individual we are dealing with. Please do not take what he says seriously because I have read his statement and all he says is not true about his departure."
Lawal in his statement said: "I am exiting the ADC because its just concluded primaries were at all levels massively rigged in favour of Kachalla Abubakar Atiku. I sense a conspiracy of silence of which I want no part. Most members of the party are behaving as if this is the normal thing to do. Results were just written or rewritten to favour him and his coven. Even where they allowed some semblance of election to hold, the winners were simply replaced with members of his syndicate. In the real sense it was a disgraceful charade."
He continued: "I am doing so because I do not intend to be part of Kachalla Atiku's rigging machine in the 2027 general elections and I cannot avoid doing so if I remain in the party. The man and his cabal are just irredentist Fulani and religious hegemonists. For me, working for Kachalla Atiku means giving Tinubu an automatic ticket to a second term which gives me nightmares. I believe Tinubu might, comparatively speaking, end up a better Nigerian president than Kachalla Atiku could ever be (as bad as Tinubu currently is and possibly could ever be). The choice in 2027 it seems will be a Morton's fork."
Lawal added: "I did not join the ADC to make Nigeria progressively worse so my beliefs and conscience won't allow me to partner with the evil that Atiku and his people represent. For, with close to 25 adult children, 6 wives (past and present, some offshore) and a heavily shrunk decapitated business empire, I foresee 25 Seyi Tinubus and 6 Remi Tinubus; a prospect that has been keeping me awake all night with worry. And who knows which Chagouri's might be lurking around the corner waiting for an Atiku bazaar?"
He also said: "I would have thought that the Northerners who helped rig the primaries for a near-senile octogenarian they all know to be an incompetent, tribal and religious bigot would be the ones that should crave the most a good post-2027 governance seeing as Tinubu has driven its people to total destitution. I would have thought that when Northerners insist on a northern president they would be thinking of one that will stop the downward spiral into poverty and insecurity not an ineptocrat like Kachalla Atiku. Alas, a leopard cannot change its spots. The North, it seems, is perpetually doomed to self-harm."
Lawal concluded: "While I will be tweaking my plans for the future and consulting with like-minded colleagues on how to stop this incompetent octogenarian from coming close to the presidential office, I will in the meantime retire to my village farm from where I will be watching Kachalla Atiku and his band of wicked vote riggers and result manipulators mercilessly out-rigged and beaten to pulp by Tinubu's ruthless and superior rigging machine. Then, it will be bye bye to this octogenarian presidential wannabe. It will be bye bye to the North for preferring a religious hegemonist over a competent world-renowned economist and corporate guru."
As at the time of filing the report, the ADC had yet to officially respond to Babachir's exit.
