Atiku not fit, proper to be president - Babachir Lawal

The biggest fallout of the primaries came with a bang yesterday.

The Northeast Vice Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Babachir David Lawal, launched a scathing attack on presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar.

He described Atiku as unfit to be president, alleging that he “rigged” the party’s primary.

Lawal, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), who hails from Adamawa State like Atiku, also announced his resignation from the ADC.

Babachir’s action followed those of former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi and banker Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, who both alleged that the primary results were manipulated and concocted.

Although Atiku had met with the duo in a bid to secure their cooperation, Hayatu-Deen insisted yesterday that the party must investigate the controversial primary, which Atiku won overwhelmingly.

Lawal said: “I am exiting the ADC because its just-concluded primaries were, at all levels, massively rigged in favour of ‘Kachalla’ Abubakar Atiku.

“I sense a conspiracy of silence, of which I want no part. Most members of the party are behaving as if this is the normal thing to do.

“Results were just written or rewritten to favour him and his allies. Even where they allowed some semblance of an election to be held, the winners were simply replaced. In the real sense, it was a disgraceful charade.”