Babachir Lawal, former secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), has doubled down on his recent comments on Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Lawal shared his thoughts in a Facebook post on Saturday following criticism of remarks he made about the former vice-president.
BACKGROUND
Lawal recently resigned from the ADC after alleging that the party’s primaries were manipulated in favour of Atiku and his associates.
The former SGF claimed the exercise was rigged at multiple levels to benefit the ex-vice-president.
He has also argued that Atiku lacks the capacity to defeat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
‘CRITICISM SHOULD FOCUS ON ISSUES’
The former SGF said most of his critics had focused on attacking him rather than addressing the issues he raised.
Lawal said his comments about Atiku were being misrepresented as an attack on an ethnic group, adding that political debate should be centred on leadership, competence, and public record.
The politician added that criticism of political leaders should not be viewed through an ethnic lens.
LAWAL REVISITS SGF EXIT
Lawal also revisited the controversy that led to his removal as SGF during the Muhammadu Buhari administration.
He alleged that the episode was politically motivated.
The former SGF maintained that he was eventually cleared by the courts after investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“During the trial, EFCC called 14 witnesses. Interestingly all of them testified to my innocence as if they were my own witnesses. Not one of them implicated me either in the contract award process or its execution,” he said.
Lawal added that the project at the centre of the controversy involved environmental and agricultural interventions in the north-east.
‘PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES MUST FACE SCRUTINY’
The former SGF said Nigerians have a responsibility to interrogate the character and competence of those seeking the presidency.
“No, it is my right to interrogate the character and competence of someone who seeks to be my President. He is free to step down his ambition if he does not want to be so queried,” he said.
Lawal reiterated his opposition to Atiku’s presidential ambition and urged the ADC to consider presenting another candidate.
“Indeed I would urge ADC to replace this man with a more qualified candidate if they want to have any hope of winning the presidential election before INEC timetable runs out on them,” he said. Thecable
