‘I refuse to be part of Atiku’s rigging machine,’ Babachir Lawal quits ADC

…Compares former VP to bandit leader ‘Kachalla’

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has resigned from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), declaring that he “refuses to be part of Atiku rigging machine” and accusing the party of manipulating its internal primaries.

Lawal announced his exit in a statement titled “The Kachalla Series Part 1,” in which he also compared former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to a bandit leader, repeatedly referring to him as “Kachalla Atiku.”

In northern Nigeria, “Kachalla” is a term used to describe the leader of a bandit group.

The former SGF alleged that the ADC primaries were “massively rigged” in favour of Atiku and his allies, claiming that election results were altered and that some winners were replaced with loyalists of the former vice president.

“I am exiting the ADC because its just concluded primaries were at all levels massively rigged in favour of Kachalla Abubakar Atiku,” Lawal said.

He accused the party leadership of remaining silent over what he described as irregularities, which he termed a “disgraceful charade.”

Lawal said his decision to leave the party was driven by his unwillingness to be associated with what he described as Atiku’s political machinery ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“I refuse to be part of Atiku rigging machine in the 2027 general elections and I cannot avoid doing so if I remain in the party,” he stated.

He further claimed that supporting Atiku’s presidential ambition would indirectly strengthen the position of incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 elections, while criticising what he described as political choices in the northern region.