Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly denied claims made by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary was rigged in his favour.
In a statement released on Tuesday through his media aide, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the allegations were not backed by any proof and described them as mere speculation. He said Lawal’s comments were driven by frustration rather than facts.
“At no point did Mr Lawal present any form of evidence to support his claims. There was no document, no petition, no result sheet, no witness statement, and no recording,” the statement said.
According to Atiku, Lawal’s interview only showed the anger of someone unhappy with the outcome of the primary election, especially after his preferred candidate lost.
“What we saw was not a whistleblower exposing wrongdoing, but someone disappointed and trying to rewrite events because his choice did not win,” Atiku stated.
He added that Lawal had openly supported another contestant before the primary and is now trying to turn that disappointment into a public accusation.
Atiku also rejected suggestions that he influenced the outcome of the election, saying it is not realistic to believe he could control votes across thousands of party members nationwide.
He further reacted to Lawal’s comment that he could easily get financial help from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu if he needed it.
“Even more surprising was his statement on national television that if he needed money, all he had to do was call President Tinubu and it would arrive quickly,” Atiku said.
He noted that Nigerians have heard the comment and are free to draw their own conclusions about its meaning.