Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has again taken former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir Lawal to the cleaners over the latter’s claim that he is unfit to be president.
Atiku emerged the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate for the 2027 election during its primary last month. Lawal is claiming that the primary was manipulated to favour Atiku. He is demanding that the exercise be cancelled and another candidate nominated to replace Atiku.
In separate statements by two of his aides, Paul Ibe and Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described Lawal as disgruntled and expressed concerns over the former SGF’s mental and emotional state.
In Ibe’s statement, Atiku said Lawal’s latest public comments reflected a troubling pattern of behaviour which raised questions about his psychological well-being and judgement.
It said Lawal appeared increasingly consumed by anger and resentment, resulting in public utterances that lacked balance and objectivity.
“Atiku’s camp views Babachir’s recent outbursts with a mixture of concern and pity,” the statement said, adding that the remarks indicated a man struggling with personal disappointment and political frustrations.
Atiku claimed that Lawal’s attacks on him were an attempt to divert attention from controversies surrounding the former SGF’s own political activities.
According to the statement, rather than addressing allegations concerning his role during the ADC presidential primary, Lawal resorted to personal attacks against Atiku.
It said when Lawal “regains perspective, he should review Atiku’s record on national security and humanitarian interventions across the country”.
The statement noted Atiku’s stance on insecurity, explaining that despite his Fulani background, he has consistently condemned terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and communal violence across Nigeria without regard to ethnic or religious affiliations.
It highlighted several proposals put forward by Atiku to tackle insecurity, including restructuring the security architecture, empowering state-backed security outfits, establishing special courts for terrorism-related cases and creating a national support framework for victims and survivors of violence.
In Shaibu’s statement, Atiku expressed concerns over what he described as the increasingly divisive nature of Lawal’s public comments.
Atiku accused the former SGF of abandoning facts in favour of ethnic profiling and conspiracy theories, warning that such rhetoric could deepen divisions in the country.
He said Lawal’s comments revealed a man whose public interventions were increasingly driven by bitterness rather than reason.
“His heart appears full of bitterness and his public utterances increasingly reflect anger rather than reason, grievance rather than evidence,” Atiku said.
He added that Lawal would benefit from stepping away from what he described as the politics of hostility and embracing “reflection and personal healing” capable of restoring balance and perspective.
According to Atiku, Nigeria requires leaders who promote unity, healing and constructive engagement rather than division and resentment.
Atiku said national conversations should focus on addressing insecurity, economic hardship, unemployment and other pressing challenges facing Nigerians instead of being dominated by ethnic suspicion and personal attacks.
He reaffirmed his commitment to building an inclusive Nigeria where citizens, regardless of ethnicity, religion or region, enjoy equal opportunities and protection under the law, stressing that the country’s future must be anchored on unity rather than division.
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