2027 Election: Babachir Lawal Tells ADC to Dump Atiku, Questions Ex-VP’s Silence on Insecurity

2027 Election: Babachir Lawal Tells ADC to Dump Atiku, Questions Ex-VP’s Silence on Insecurity

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal, has released an explosive new statement titled “Kachalla 2,” in which he defends his record over the controversial grass-cutting scandal, names those he claims orchestrated his removal from office, and renews his call for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to drop former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate. In the lengthy statement released on Saturday, June 6, 2026, Lawal said he has faced a barrage of insults and threats following an earlier post in which he criticised Atiku. According to him, many of his critics focused on what has popularly been referred to as the “grass-cutting scandal,” while ignoring what he described as the substantive issues he raised about the former vice president’s suitability for the presidency.

Lawal maintained that his removal from office as SGF was politically motivated and not based on any genuine wrongdoing. “I find this amusing because it was clearly a setup to get me out of office on account of my very close relationship with Gen Muhammadu Buhari,” he said. He claimed that his relationship with the former president, dating back to 1971 when Buhari became his mentor, made him a target of political opponents who were uncomfortable with his influence. According to Lawal, some political actors feared that Buhari was grooming him for a higher position, while others objected to his appointment as SGF simply because he is a Christian from the small Kilba tribe in Adamawa State.

In a dramatic revelation, the former SGF alleged that a high-powered delegation was sent to Buhari to complain about his appointment, but the former president refused to listen. Consequently, he said, “they had to get me out of the seat of the very powerful SGF at all costs.” Lawal claimed that the contract to remove him was awarded to some Northern Senators who subcontracted the assignment to legislative hatchet men, recruiting sympathizers and collaborators in the executive branch and the press. He notably stated that the main contractor later apologized to him in the presence of three mutual friends, and that as a Christian, he forgave him.

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Lawal further alleged that despite an initial Senate report recommending his dismissal, then-President Muhammadu Buhari rejected the recommendation on the advice of the Attorney General, who found the report lacking in substance and fair hearing. However, he claimed that the matter would not die because the then Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, for reasons best known to him, decided to pursue the matter with the president, incessantly pestering him until the president gave in and permitted Osinbajo and two others to investigate the matter. “It was this report that without a shred of evidence recommended my removal,” Lawal stated.

Lawal insisted that the matter was eventually investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and that he was later discharged and acquitted by the court. According to court documents, a Federal High Court in Abuja discharged and acquitted Lawal and five others from the N544 million contract fraud charges brought against them by the 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. The court held that the anti-graft agency failed to establish a prima facie case against the ex-SGF and the co-defendants, ruling that no ingredient of any offence was made out by the 11 witnesses who testified for the EFCC.

Providing his most detailed account yet of the controversial contract at the centre of the case, Lawal said the consultancy contract awarded to a company he once owned, Rholavision Engineering Limited, was worth N7.2 million and emerged through a competitive bidding process of which he was not even aware. He explained that the main contract, worth approximately N540 million, was won by Josmon Technologies Limited, a company whose owners he had never met until they met in court. He argued that both the main contract and the consultancy services were fully executed, and payments were effected only after the Auditor-General’s Office and the Internal Auditors certified that the contracts were fully executed according to specifications. “What the Kachalla Goebelian propagandists and liars are calling ‘grass cutting scandal’ was actually clearing of over 320 kilometres of Komadugu Yobe River,” Lawal stated. He detailed that the river, which sustains the livelihoods of millions through fishing, agriculture, and pastoralism, was facing significant environmental and water scarcity concerns through blockage by Typha grass. He said the contract involved the reconstruction of 500 hectares of irrigated farmlands along the river bank, each provided with irrigation canals, a wash borehole, and a petrol pump. The project also included the purchase and distribution of 25 dugout canoes, fishing nets, and 25 speed boats for transportation. Lawal noted that the project employed over 1,000 displaced villagers and refugees from the camps daily for the four-month duration of the programme.

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Turning to contemporary politics, Lawal accused supporters of Atiku of attacking him for expressing concerns about the former vice president’s presidential ambition. “No, it is my right to interrogate the character and competence of someone who seeks to be my President,” he said. The former SGF questioned Atiku’s response to insecurity and banditry across the country, asking why the former vice president had allegedly not spoken strongly enough against attacks carried out by armed groups in several communities. “Why has Atiku Abubakar never publicly sympathized or empathized with the victims of these mostly Fulani bandits? Why has he never lent a voice to those condemning Kachalla Bello Turji and his colleagues after burning, kidnapping and killing thousands of Hausa victims, sometimes happening in Mosques and markets?” he queried. Lawal also raised concerns about some businesses associated with Atiku, including Gotel Communications, Adama Beverages, Rico Gado Nutrition Company, and his university, arguing that Nigerians should scrutinise the competence and character of anyone seeking the nation’s highest office. “Should we feign nonchalance to someone who once said he will ‘enrich his friends’?” he asked.

The former SGF urged opposition politicians to consider presenting an alternative candidate ahead of the next presidential election, arguing that doing so would improve their chances at the polls. “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 time table runs out on them,” he said. Lawal also disclosed that he has effectively withdrawn from active partisan politics and is undecided on whom to support in the next presidential election. “I have now retired from politics. I’m not canvassing for votes for anybody. I have one vote to myself that I keep to myself. I might even vote for Omoyele Sowore,” he said. Lawal added that he had ruled out supporting both the APC and ADC and was waiting to see other candidates that may emerge ahead of the 2027 election. He also reiterated his support for Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, whom he described as the most qualified among the presidential aspirants.

The former SGF defended earlier comments that attracted criticism for their ethnic and religious undertones. “If pointing out the danger an Atiku presidency will pose to the country amounts to insulting the whole Fulani race, and if that is how the Fulani race chooses to see it, so be it,” he said. He linked his views to experiences of discrimination he claimed to have faced as a Christian from the Kilba ethnic group in Adamawa State. He concluded by insisting that his interventions were motivated by concern for Nigeria’s future and vowed not to be intimidated by critics. “I mean well for my country,” he said. “I will not lie low and allow his goons to lynch me be it physically or on the social media.”

Atiku Abubakar’s camp has strongly dismissed Lawal’s allegations. In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former Vice President’s camp described Lawal’s accusations as unsubstantiated and politically motivated. Shaibu said Lawal “maligned a democratic process” and failed to present any verifiable proof, including documents, witnesses, or facts, to back his claims of irregularities in the ADC primary. The statement questioned Lawal’s consistency, alleging that he accepted similar processes in other party contests but only raised objections in the presidential primary after the outcome did not favour his preferred candidate. “If the ADC primaries were truly the sham Mr. Lawal now portrays them to be, intellectual honesty would require him to reject every outcome arising from that exercise, including the emergence of his cousin,” the statement said, referring to Omar Suleiman, who emerged as the ADC governorship candidate in Adamawa State. The Atiku camp further accused Lawal of resorting to ethnic and religious prejudice after failing to persuade ADC members to embrace his preferred candidate. The statement described such rhetoric as divisive and warned against it, adding that Atiku remains focused on national issues ahead of the 2027 elections. The statement concluded that the 2027 election would not be decided by tantrums, ethnic dog whistles, recycled grievances, or revisionist history, but by the Nigerian people.

2027 Election: Babachir Lawal Tells ADC to Dump Atiku, Questions Ex-VP’s Silence on Insecurity