Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has announced his retirement from politics.
Lawal made the announcement during an interview on Wednesday, a day after accusing the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, of rigging the party’s presidential primary.
The former SGF, who was removed from office by former President Muhammadu Buhari, had endorsed the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi in the 2023 election despite being a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Following the mass defections of Atiku, Obi, and other prominent politicians to the ADC ahead of the 2027 elections, Lawal joined the party, where he emerged as the party’s leader in the North-East.
However, at the conclusion of the party’s presidential primary few days ago, the former SGF expressed outrage over the conduct of the election, accusing Atiku of orchestrating widespread rigging, which he described as undemocratic.
Atiku was declared the winner of the primaries with 1,846,370 votes, while former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi and businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen came second and third with 504,117 and 177,120 votes respectively.
Reacting to the outcome, Lawal alleged that the exercise was marred by widespread irregularities and manipulation in favour of Atiku.
According to him, results were allegedly altered at multiple levels of the process, describing the primary as a “disgraceful charade” that failed to reflect democratic principles.
He further announced his resignation from the ADC, insisting that the conduct of the election made it impossible for him to remain in the party.
Atiku’s camp, however, dismissed the allegations and challenged Lawal’s claims.
The former vice president questioned why Lawal was willing to accept outcomes in areas where candidates close to him emerged victorious while condemning the overall process as fraudulent.
Atiku specifically referenced the emergence of Lawal’s cousin, Omar Suleiman, as the ADC governorship candidate in Adamawa State, arguing that the former SGF had failed to explain the contradiction.
While Lawal had earlier indicated that he would consult political associates before deciding his next move, he confirmed on Wednesday that he had chosen to quit politics entirely.
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