June 1 (THEWILL) — The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has been plunged into fresh internal turmoil following the resignation of former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, who accused the party leadership of manipulating its recently concluded primary in favour of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
Lawal announced his departure from the opposition party in a statement issued on Monday, alleging that the primary election process was compromised at all levels to ensure predetermined outcomes for Atiku and his allies.
The former SGF said the alleged manipulation represented a grave assault on internal democracy and violated the principles of fairness and transparency that should guide political parties.
“I am exiting the ADC because its just concluded primaries were at all levels massively rigged in favour of Kachalla Abubakar Atiku”, Lawal declared.
He further accused senior members of the party of deliberately ignoring the alleged irregularities, describing their silence as evidence of a coordinated effort to legitimise what he termed an unfair process.
“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”, he added.
Lawal said the developments left him with no option but to resign from the party, insisting that he could not continue to associate with a political platform that allegedly undermined democratic values.
Beyond his criticism of the primaries, the former SGF also distanced himself from Atiku’s reported presidential ambition, arguing that backing the former vice-president could inadvertently improve President Bola Tinubu’s prospects of securing a second term.
Lawal questioned the political calculations of opposition figures rallying behind Atiku, maintaining that Nigeria’s future leadership should be determined by competence, credibility, and national interest rather than loyalty to established political figures.
According to him, the country requires fresh leadership options capable of addressing its complex economic, security and governance challenges.
The former SGF disclosed that he would take a temporary break from active politics following his resignation, while consulting with political associates and supporters on his next move.
He, however, stopped short of revealing whether he would join another political party or align with any emerging opposition coalition ahead of the next election cycle.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the ADC leadership nor Atiku Abubakar had officially responded to the allegations levelled against them.
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