Atiku, ADC candidate look like ‘cheap products from TEMU’ — Babachir Lawal

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has criticised the presidential candidacy of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar under the African Democratic Congress, ADC, while faulting the party’s handling of its governorship primary in Adamawa State.

Lawal made the remarks in a Facebook post on Sunday titled “Kachalla Series Three”, where he alleged that the ADC replaced Engineer Umar Suleiman, whom he said won the party’s Adamawa governorship primary, with Tukur Moddibo.

He attributed the alleged substitution to ethnic considerations and claimed that Atiku influenced the decision.

In the post, Lawal compared the candidate-selection processes of the ADC and the All Progressives Congress to products purchased from TEMU, an online marketplace.

He wrote: “As the story goes on the streets in the state, APC donated its gubernatorial candidate to the state having purchased him from TEMU the cheap online market place, and it appears that the ADC too has just done likewise, aside giving to the nation a presidential candidate that looks more like he too was a cheap product from TEMU.”

Lawal further alleged that Suleiman was replaced with Moddibo following pressure from Atiku and accused the former vice president of favouring candidates on ethnic and religious grounds.

He described Suleiman as a “very competent and experienced gentleman” who, in his view, would have posed a strong challenge to what he described as an attempt to maintain political dominance in the state.

The former SGF also alleged that the substitution violated the Electoral Act 2026, the ADC Constitution and the party’s Primary Election Guidelines.

He said he would challenge the matter in court.

“This criminal substitution which violates the Electoral Act 2026, the ADC Constitution, and the ADC Primary Elections Guidelines will be tested in the courts and it will fail woefully,” Lawal said.

Lawal further expressed confidence that voters in Adamawa State would reject what he described as an attempt to impose a candidate on them.

He predicted that both the ADC and APC could lose the governorship election in the state, arguing that voters had other candidates and political parties from which to choose.

“The Adamawa masses trust God that both the ADC and APC will lose the gubernatorial elections in the state,” he said.

The allegations come amid increasing political realignments and preparations by major political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.