The fragile opposition coalition built around the African Democratic Congress (ADC) suffered a major setback on Monday as former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), David Babachir Lawal, resigned from the party, accusing its leadership of orchestrating a massive rigging operation to ensure the emergence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
Lawal’s exit has deepened an already growing crisis within the ADC and handed fresh ammunition to President Bola Tinubu’s camp, which quickly seized on the development as proof that the opposition coalition lacks the democratic credentials it claims to champion.
The former SGF, who had been one of the influential northern figures associated with the opposition realignment ahead of 2027, announced his resignation in a strongly worded statement that accused the ADC of abandoning internal democracy and becoming a vehicle for Atiku’s presidential ambition.
“I am exiting the ADC because its just concluded primaries were at all levels massively rigged in favour of Kachalla Abubakar Atiku,” Lawal declared.
He alleged that the outcome of the primaries had been predetermined and that legitimate winners were either denied victory or replaced by candidates loyal to Atiku.
“Results were just written or rewritten to favour him and his coven. Even where they allowed some semblance of election to hold, the winners were simply replaced with members of his syndicate,” he stated.
“Conspiracy of Silence”
Beyond his allegations of manipulation, Lawal expressed frustration at what he described as the unwillingness of party leaders and members to challenge the conduct of the primaries.
“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,” he said.
The former SGF argued that the silence of party stakeholders amounted to complicity and warned that the ADC risked repeating the mistakes that have weakened opposition parties in the past.
His resignation represents one of the most significant defections from the ADC since the party emerged as the principal platform for opposition coalition efforts ahead of the 2027 polls.
Atiku’s Victory Under Scrutiny
The ADC presidential primary held last week produced a decisive victory for Atiku Abubakar, who defeated former Rivers State governor and ex-Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi as well as businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.
Official results showed Atiku polling more than 1.8 million votes against Amaechi’s roughly 504,000 and Hayatu-Deen’s 177,000 votes.
However, even before Lawal’s resignation, cracks had begun to emerge.
Amaechi publicly questioned the credibility of the process and alleged widespread disenfranchisement of party members. His camp complained that the exercise failed to meet promised standards of transparency and fairness, raising concerns that opposition unity was already under strain barely days after the primary.
Although Hayatu-Deen later accepted the outcome following consultations with Atiku and ruled out legal action, Lawal’s resignation has reignited questions about whether the coalition can remain united behind the former vice president.
Warning Against Another Atiku Candidacy
Perhaps more damaging than his resignation was Lawal’s political assessment of Atiku’s presidential ambition.
The former SGF made it clear that he would not support Atiku in 2027, arguing that another Atiku candidacy could ultimately help President Tinubu secure re-election.
According to Lawal, opposition politicians backing Atiku are failing to appreciate the political realities that contributed to the opposition’s defeat in previous elections.
He argued that Nigeria, particularly the North, should be searching for leaders capable of confronting insecurity, economic decline and governance challenges rather than recycling familiar political figures.
His comments reflect a growing debate within opposition circles over whether Atiku, who has contested for the presidency multiple times, remains the strongest candidate to challenge Tinubu.
Some coalition supporters had hoped the ADC would produce a fresh face capable of uniting disparate opposition blocs and attracting younger voters. Instead, Atiku’s emergence has revived concerns about voter fatigue, ideological divisions and the possibility of another fractured opposition campaign.
Presidency Pounces
The Presidency wasted little time exploiting the turmoil.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga described Lawal’s departure as a devastating political blow to Atiku and the ADC leadership.
“Babachir David Lawal just handed Atiku Abubakar and his captured ADC a stinging rebuke, along with a bitter divorce,” Onanuga wrote on social media.
Presidential aides subsequently argued that the crisis vindicated the Tinubu administration’s longstanding position that the ADC coalition was driven more by personal ambition than by a coherent national agenda.
According to officials, the allegations of rigging within the ADC exposed a contradiction between the opposition’s rhetoric and its internal practices.
The Presidency further maintained that while President Tinubu remained focused on governance and economic reforms, opposition politicians were increasingly consumed by power struggles and leadership battles.
Government supporters have also pointed to the dispute as evidence that efforts to unite the opposition under a single platform may prove more difficult than anticipated.
Atiku Camp Fires Back
Atiku’s camp rejected Lawal’s allegations, describing them as baseless and politically motivated.
In a statement issued by his spokesman, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president’s team said Lawal had failed to provide any evidence to support claims of manipulation.
“Having chosen to malign a democratic process, insult thousands of ADC members nationwide, and make grave allegations without presenting a shred of evidence, it has become necessary to set the record straight,” the statement said.
The Atiku camp insisted that the primaries were conducted nationwide and reflected the will of party members.
It also questioned Lawal’s consistency, noting that he had accepted the results of other contests conducted under the same process, including the Adamawa governorship primary reportedly won by his cousin, Omar Suleiman.
“Nigerians are entitled to ask whether the process was only credible when it favoured his family and only rigged when it produced a presidential candidate he did not support,” Shaibu said.
The statement further suggested that Lawal’s objections stemmed from disappointment over the outcome rather than genuine concerns about internal democracy.
Lawal’s resignation has reignited concerns about the durability of the opposition alliance that rallied around the ADC after months of negotiations among anti-Tinubu political actors.
The coalition was conceived as a vehicle capable of consolidating opposition votes and avoiding the fragmentation that benefited the ruling APC in previous elections.
However, disagreements over candidate selection, zoning arrangements and leadership structures have repeatedly threatened cohesion within the alliance.
The latest dispute highlights the challenge of managing competing ambitions among heavyweight politicians united primarily by their opposition to the ruling party.
For Tinubu’s allies, the unfolding crisis strengthens the argument that the opposition remains too divided to mount a serious challenge in 2027.
For critics of the administration, however, the concern is that internal battles within the ADC could squander what many viewed as the opposition’s best opportunity to build a credible alternative platform.
Political Hiatus
Amid the controversy, Lawal announced that he would temporarily withdraw from active politics while consulting with associates on his next move.
The declaration leaves open questions about where he will eventually align and whether other disgruntled figures within the ADC could follow him out of the party.
As the fallout continues, the ADC faces a critical test of its ability to contain internal dissent and project unity ahead of a fiercely contested presidential election cycle.