Babachir Lawal Criticizes Atiku Abubakar's Ambitions

Babachir Lawal, the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of desiring to be addressed as president despite never having held the position. Lawal described Atiku as self-centered and difficult to work with.

His comments come as he realigns politically ahead of the 2027 general election, indicating support for the NDC's presidential ticket of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso. Lawal previously resigned from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on June 1, alleging that the party's primaries were rigged in favor of Atiku, who received 1,846,370 votes to win the ADC presidential primary.

Lawal claimed that results were manipulated and that candidates who won were replaced. Atiku's camp rejected these allegations, asserting the legitimacy of the primary results.

Lawal expressed concerns that supporting Atiku could inadvertently aid President Bola Tinubu's re-election bid, stating he would prefer Tinubu over Atiku if forced to choose.