Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has alleged that votes recorded for Mohammed Hayatu-Deen during the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primaries were credited to Atiku Abubakar during the collation of results.

Lawal made the allegation while explaining his decision to leave the ADC, claiming that his objections to the process were not accepted by some members of the party.

Key Facts

• Babachir Lawal alleged that results from the ADC presidential primary were altered during collation.
• He claimed votes recorded for Mohammed Hayatu-Deen were credited to Atiku Abubakar.
• Lawal said he questioned the alleged alteration but was told the party could not afford to disgrace Atiku.
• He said Hayatu-Deen was his preferred aspirant because he considered him the most capable among the contenders.
• Lawal said he was the ADC state vice-chairman at the time and was involved in forming a seven-member committee for the primary.
• The allegations were made during an interview with Trust TV, according to the source material.

What Lawal Alleged Happened During The ADC Primary

Lawal said his concerns arose while results from the ADC presidential primary were being announced and collated.

According to the former SGF, he initially supported Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, whom he said he regarded as the most capable candidate among the aspirants.

He claimed that as the results were being released, he noticed that Atiku Abubakar was being declared with votes that, according to his account, should have been credited to Hayatu-Deen.

Lawal said:

“When they started filtering out the results, I found out that they were declaring Atiku. Then I found out that the result for Hayatu-Deen was credited to Atiku.”

The allegation forms the central reason Lawal gave for his dissatisfaction with the conduct of the primary.

Lawal Says He Questioned The Alleged Result Changes

According to Lawal, he raised questions about what he believed was happening during the collation.

He alleged that his concerns did not result in a reversal of the reported figures and that some party members instead encouraged him to accept the situation.

Lawal further claimed that he was told the party could not afford to disgrace Atiku.

The allegation, as presented in the source material, comes from Lawal’s account of the primary process. The supplied material does not provide independent evidence establishing that the results were altered or independently confirming the alleged transfer of votes.

Why Lawal Supported Hayatu-Deen

Lawal said his preference for Hayatu-Deen was established from the beginning of the primary process.

Explaining his position, he said he considered the former aspirant the most capable among those contesting for the party’s presidential ticket.

“Like my state, outrightly, from day one, my preference was for Hayatu-Deen. No doubt about that because I considered him the most capable among all the aspirants.”

His comments therefore placed his disagreement with the reported results within the context of his own stated preference in the primary.

Lawal’s Role In The Primary Process

Lawal also provided some background on his position within the ADC at the time of the primary.

He said he was the party’s state vice-chairman and was involved in forming a seven-member committee responsible for conducting the exercise.

According to him, the party’s guidelines provided for the appointment of the committee chairman and secretary, while the state was expected to nominate the remaining five members.

That account was presented by Lawal as part of his explanation of his involvement in the organisation of the primary.

What The Allegation Means For The Primary Dispute

The dispute described by Lawal centres on the collation and allocation of votes during the ADC presidential primary.

His account raises questions about how the results were handled, but the material available for this report contains only his allegations and does not include a response from Atiku Abubakar, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, or the ADC addressing the specific claims.

For that reason, the alleged alteration of the results remains presented here as Lawal’s account of events, rather than an independently established fact.

Key Takeaways

• Babachir Lawal alleged that votes belonging to Mohammed Hayatu-Deen were credited to Atiku Abubakar during the ADC presidential primary.
• Lawal said he questioned what he regarded as an alteration of the results.
• He claimed he was told the party could not afford to disgrace Atiku.
• Lawal said Hayatu-Deen was his preferred aspirant because he considered him the most capable among the contenders.
• He said he was the ADC state vice-chairman at the time and helped form a seven-member committee for the primary.
• The supplied material does not contain an independent confirmation of the alleged manipulation or responses from the other parties mentioned.

Final Word

The claims made by Babachir Lawal place the conduct of the ADC presidential primary at the centre of the political dispute described in the source material.

His account focuses specifically on the alleged handling of votes during result collation and his unsuccessful attempt, according to him, to challenge what he believed had occurred.

The available material establishes Lawal’s allegations and his account of his role in the primary process, but it does not independently establish that the alleged alteration took place.

Gossip News Now remains committed to presenting political claims with clear attribution and distinguishing allegations from independently established facts.

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