In an interview aired on Channels Television on Monday, June 8, 2026, Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), raised new concerns about the conduct of the ADC presidential primary election.
He alleged that results were manipulated to benefit former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
He said he had gathered evidence and firsthand accounts from witnesses who observed efforts to alter the outcome of the primary.
According to Lawal, party members became alarmed when they noticed inconsistencies between the results originally sent in from polling units and the final figures released during the collation process.
He recounted a specific instance: “In my local government, I saw that Atiku received just over a thousand votes, while another candidate got 22,000.
When the results were being read out, someone objected, saying the official wasn’t announcing the figures we brought from the field. I called him and asked, ‘Why are you changing the result?’ He replied, ‘Sir, how can you embarrass Atiku in his home state? He is our leader.’”
Lawal added that he had received similar reports from contacts in Adamawa State, who described intense pressure being placed on collation officials. He emphasized that some of these individuals are still alive and available to provide testimony.
He maintained that the officially declared numbers in several locations did not match the actual returns from the field and urged the party leadership to launch an investigation.
For Lawal, upholding transparency and credibility is crucial in any democratic exercise, particularly when selecting party candidates.
