Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly dismissed allegations levelled against him by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, describing the accusations as unfounded and politically motivated.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku accused Lawal of presenting serious allegations without providing any evidence to support his claims.
According to Shaibu, Nigerians who watched Lawal’s recent television interview were exposed to what he described as “a mixture of bitterness, speculation and political revisionism disguised as public interest.”
The statement argued that despite spending considerable time discussing alleged irregularities in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary, Lawal failed to produce any verifiable proof.
“Mr. Lawal made grave accusations regarding the conduct of the ADC presidential primary but offered no documents, petitions, result sheets, witness statements, recordings or any other evidence to support his assertions,” Shaibu said.
“He entered the interview with accusations and left with accusations. At no point did the evidence appear.”
Shaibu maintained that a former SGF and senior political figure should understand the distinction between suspicion and verifiable facts, accusing Lawal of relying on unnamed sources and unverified claims throughout the interview.
The Atiku aide further alleged that Lawal’s comments were driven by disappointment over the outcome of the ADC primary process, claiming that the former SGF had openly supported another aspirant before the contest concluded.
“Having failed to secure victory for his preferred candidate, he is now attempting to cloak personal disappointment in the language of moral outrage,” the statement said.
Shaibu also challenged what he described as inconsistencies in Lawal’s arguments, noting that the former SGF simultaneously portrayed Atiku as politically irrelevant while suggesting he wielded enough influence to manipulate a nationwide electoral process.
He described the allegation as illogical, arguing that it would require Nigerians to believe that thousands of ADC members across the country abandoned their independent judgment in favour of an alleged covert directive.
The statement further accused Lawal of attempting to undermine Atiku’s reputation among Christian communities in the Middle Belt and other regions where the former vice president enjoys significant support.
Shaibu additionally highlighted Lawal’s remarks during the interview in which he allegedly stated that he could easily obtain financial assistance from President Bola Tinubu whenever necessary, suggesting that the comment raised questions about his motivations.
Reaffirming Atiku’s position, Shaibu insisted that Lawal’s allegations lacked credibility because they were unsupported by evidence.
“Given every opportunity to substantiate his claims, he left the studio exactly as he entered it — with accusations but without proof, outrage but without evidence, and bitterness but without credibility,” he stated.
While acknowledging Lawal’s right to hold personal political opinions, Shaibu stressed that such opinions must be distinguished from established facts.
He added that Atiku’s camp considers the statement its final response to what it described as Lawal’s attempts to remain politically relevant through sensational claims and attacks on the former vice president’s character.