Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal, has announced his resignation from the African Democratic Congress, citing dissatisfaction with the party’s presidential primary process and the emergence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate.
Lawal accused the party leadership of manipulating the primary election in favour of Atiku, whom he compared to Kachalla, a bandit kingpin.
According to the former SGF, he could not remain in a party where the nomination process was allegedly compromised, insisting that he would not participate in what he described as a political structure designed to secure Atiku’s victory in the 2027 presidential election.
In a statement and subsequent remarks shared on social media, Lawal argued that supporting Atiku’s presidential ambition would ultimately benefit incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by making it easier for him to secure a second term in office.
The former SGF further claimed that Tinubu represented a better option than Atiku, whom he criticised in strong terms.
Lawal accused the former vice president of lacking the competence required to lead the country and alleged that he exhibited divisive tendencies based on ethnic and religious considerations.
In a Facebook post announcing his departure from the ADC, Lawal also likened Atiku to a “Kachalla”—a term commonly associated with a bandit leader in parts of northern Nigeria.
“Concluded primaries were at all levels massively rigged in favour of Kachalla Abubakar Atiku,” he wrote.
“I do not intend to be part of Kachalla Atiku’s rigging machine in the 2027 general elections.”
He added that working for Atiku’s emergence as president would effectively hand Tinubu an automatic path to re-election, a prospect he said troubled him deeply.
Lawal disclosed that he intends to step back from active partisan politics for now, return to his village, and focus on farming while consulting with political allies on strategies aimed at preventing Atiku from winning the presidency in 2027.
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