Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has denied allegations that he accepted money from African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential aspirant, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, to mobilize support during the party’s recent primary election.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday night monitored by 9News Nigeria, Lawal described former Vice President Atiku as charlatan and dismissed claims that he kept mobilization funds to himself, which critics alleged led to Hayatu-Deen’s defeat.
In the interview, Lawal boasted that if he needed money he could phone President Bola Tinubu immediately.
“If I want money to do politics, I’d phone Bola Tinubu here, and I am sure before I get home, they’d give me the money. Hayatu-Deen has no money to give now,” Lawal said.
There has been a growing dispute between Lawal and Atiku Abubakar in the wake of the ADC presidential primary ahead of the 2027 general election.
Lawal has since resigned from the ADC, alleging that the primary process was manipulated in favor of Atiku. He argued that Atiku’s candidacy would compromise the opposition’s ability to defeat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the upcoming election.
During his public criticisms, Lawal referred to the former Vice President as “Kachalla Atiku” and accused elements of Atiku’s camp of driving ethnic and religious agendas, stating these factors influenced his decision to leave the party.
The camp of the former vice president has rejected Lawal’s claims. Atiku’s spokesman, Paul Ibe, countered the allegations, accusing Lawal of attempting to influence the primary outcome himself and characterizing his grievances as the reaction of a disappointed politician.
Furthermore, Atiku criticized Lawal’s public comments, accusing him of making ethnically divisive remarks regarding national insecurity.
Atiku maintained that criminality should not be attributed to any single ethnic group and described such rhetoric as harmful to national unity.
In the ADC primary election conducted in April, Atiku secured the party’s ticket after defeating Rotimi Amaechi and Hayatu-Deen across 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
