Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has alleged that votes cast for other aspirants in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary were credited to Atiku Abubakar.
Lawal, who is now a chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), said the alleged irregularities influenced his decision to leave the ADC.
He made the allegations during an interview with Trust TV on Friday, explaining that he had supported former presidential aspirant Mohammed Hayatu-Deen in the primary.
According to Lawal, he considered Hayatu-Deen the most capable candidate among those seeking the party’s presidential ticket.
Lawal Explains His Role in the Primary
The former SGF said he was serving as the ADC’s state vice-chairman when preparations for the presidential primary were underway.
He explained that a seven-member committee was constituted to conduct the exercise. Under the arrangement he described, the party was responsible for appointing the committee’s chairman and secretary, while the state was expected to nominate the remaining five members.
Lawal said he supported Hayatu-Deen because he believed the aspirant had a strong chance of winning the contest.
He further claimed that Hayatu-Deen secured victory in his state, raising his expectations about the outcome of the national exercise.
Alleged Changes During Result Collation
Lawal alleged that the results announced during collation did not reflect the votes cast for some of the aspirants.
He claimed that votes recorded for Hayatu-Deen were instead credited to Atiku Abubakar.
According to his account, he became concerned when the results being announced showed Atiku emerging as the leading candidate.
Lawal said he questioned what he believed was an alteration of the results but received a response that the party could not afford to embarrass Atiku, whom he described as its leader.
He also alleged that some party members encouraged him to accept the outcome despite his objections.
Why Lawal Left the ADC
Lawal maintained that his concerns about the conduct of the presidential primary were central to his decision to leave the ADC and join the NDC.
His account raises questions about the party’s internal electoral process and the handling of results during the primary.
However, the allegations reported here reflect Lawal’s account of the events. Independent confirmation of the alleged vote manipulation was not provided in the interview summary.
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