Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has dismissed allegations made by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, describing them as baseless claims driven by bitterness, speculation and political disappointment.
Mr Atiku, through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said Lawal’s recent television interview failed to provide any credible evidence to support his allegations regarding the presidential primary of the African Democratic Congress, ADC.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Shaibu said Nigerians who watched the interview were presented with “a man armed with outrage but bereft of evidence,” arguing that Lawal spent nearly an hour making serious allegations without producing any verifiable proof.
According to him, despite repeatedly claiming that evidence of wrongdoing was widespread, Lawal failed to present documents, petitions, result sheets, witness statements or recordings to substantiate his assertions.
“He arrived with accusations. He left with accusations. In between, the evidence never arrived,” the statement said.
Mr Shaibu argued that Lawal, as a former SGF and senior political figure, ought to understand the difference between suspicion and evidence, noting that his claims relied heavily on unnamed sources, unidentified officials and unverified accounts.
He further stated that Lawal’s allegations appeared to stem from dissatisfaction over the outcome of the ADC primary process, claiming that the former SGF had openly supported another aspirant before the conclusion of the contest.
According to the statement, Lawal’s attempt to portray Atiku as politically irrelevant while simultaneously accusing him of orchestrating a nationwide manipulation of the ADC primary process was contradictory and implausible.
The statement maintained that such allegations underestimated the judgment and independence of ADC members across the country’s 8,809 wards.
Mr Shaibu also criticised Lawal for what he described as a tendency to interpret every political setback as evidence of conspiracy and manipulation.
“The tragedy of Mr Lawal’s intervention is that he appears to have become so consumed by bitterness that he no longer recognises the difference between evidence and speculation. Every outcome he dislikes is rigging. Every defeat is a conspiracy. Every disagreement becomes proof of manipulation,” the statement said.
The Atiku aide further accused Lawal of engaging in personal attacks after allegedly failing to support his claims with facts.
He also referenced comments allegedly made by Lawal during the television interview regarding his relationship with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying Nigerians were capable of drawing their own conclusions from the remarks.
Defending Atiku’s political record, Shaibu said the former vice president had made significant contributions to Nigeria’s economic reforms, telecommunications liberalisation, private sector development and educational advancement.
He argued that Atiku’s continued relevance in national politics over several decades was evidence of his enduring influence and public acceptance.
According to the statement, the most damaging rebuttal to Lawal’s allegations was his inability to provide proof despite having ample opportunity to do so during the interview.
Shaibu stressed that Atiku was entitled to respond to criticism but maintained that opinions could not replace facts.
“As far as we are concerned, this is the final response to Mr Lawal’s increasingly desperate attempts to remain politically relevant through sensationalism and character assassination. Nigerians have heard him. Nigerians have seen him. And Nigerians have judged for themselves,” the statement added.
The former vice president’s spokesman insisted that the facts surrounding the ADC primary remained unchanged and that no amount of criticism would alter what he described as the truth of the matter.
