Babachir Lawal urges ADC to replace Atiku ahead of 2027 Election

FORMER Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has intensified his criticism of presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, insisting the party should replace him ahead of the 2027 election.

Lawal made the remarks in a Facebook post on Saturday while responding to backlash that followed his earlier comments about the former vice-president.

The former SGF recently resigned from the ADC, accusing the party of manipulating its primaries in favour of Atiku and his allies. According to him, the process was compromised at different stages to ensure the ex-vice-president emerged as the preferred candidate.

Lawal also maintained that Atiku does not possess the political strength required to unseat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential race.

Responding to criticism trailing his comments, the former SGF said many of his opponents had avoided addressing the substance of his arguments and instead focused on personal attacks.

READ ALSO: Amaechi rejects ADC presidential primary results, alleges massive disenfranchisement

He argued that his position on Atiku should not be interpreted as hostility toward any ethnic group, stressing that discussions around leadership must be based on competence, track record, and suitability for office rather than ethnicity.

Lawal further stated that political leaders seeking public office should be open to scrutiny without such criticism being reduced to ethnic considerations.

The former SGF also revisited the controversy surrounding his removal from office during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, insisting the matter was politically driven.

He said investigations and court proceedings eventually cleared him of wrongdoing after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecuted the case.

“During the trial, EFCC called 14 witnesses. Interestingly all of them testified to my innocence as if they were my own witnesses. Not one of them implicated me either in the contract award process or its execution,” he said.

Lawal explained that the disputed project involved agricultural and environmental intervention programmes in the North-East.

Speaking further, the former SGF said Nigerians have every right to assess the character and competence of anyone seeking the presidency.

“No, it is my right to interrogate the character and competence of someone who seeks to be my president. He is free to step down his ambition if he does not want to be so queried,” he said.

Lawal reaffirmed his opposition to Atiku’s presidential ambition and called on the ADC to field another candidate if the party hopes to stand a chance in the next presidential election.

“Indeed I would urge ADC to replace this man with a more qualified candidate if they want to have any hope of winning the presidential election before INEC timetable runs out on them,” he said.