Babachir Lawal Critiques ADC Primary, Claims Amaechi Outworked Atiku
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has continued his public criticism of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) following the party’s May 2026 presidential primary. Lawal, who recently resigned from the party, insists that the process which produced former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate was “massively rigged.”
In a pointed comparison, Lawal highlighted the efforts of another major contender, former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, suggesting that Amaechi’s campaign was far more robust and transparent than the eventual winner’s. “Someone like Rotimi Amaechi was very confident that if we go to primaries he would win. Everybody around him was extremely confident that Amaechi would win,” Lawal noted.
He further contrasted the two aspirants’ approaches to mobilization: “Among the three candidates, Amaechi was the one moving around, working hard to see that he got the ticket.”
Lawal’s comments come in the wake of his formal resignation from the ADC on June 1, 2026, which he justified by citing the “disgraceful charade” of the primary election. According to reports, Atiku Abubakar secured the ticket with over 1.8 million votes, while Amaechi and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen finished second and third, respectively. Both runners-up initially raised concerns regarding irregularities and disenfranchisement during the exercise.
