Atiku Abubakar's media office fired back at former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal on Wednesday, calling his recent attacks on the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate baseless and driven by personal animosity.
Lawal had resigned from the ADC, claiming the party's primaries were rigged or manipulated. But in a scathing statement, Atiku's team said Lawal offered no proof of his allegations and instead dragged Atiku's family into the dispute without justification.
The statement described Lawal's comments as "needless and senseless" attacks on Atiku's character. It said Lawal accused Atiku of religious bigotry and nepotism, charges Atiku's office called "one of the laziest and most ridiculous lies anyone can spread."
Atiku's media team defended their candidate as one of Nigeria's most liberal politicians, arguing his track record is there for anyone to verify. They suggested Lawal was actually describing himself, not Atiku. "As far as we are concerned, Babachir was perfectly describing his own character rather than Atiku's," the statement said.
The office accused Lawal of being a "conflict entrepreneur" who seeks power by dividing people along ethnic and religious lines. "All his altercations with people are caused by his selfishness," the statement read. "He opportunistically panders to sentiments to achieve his ambition. None of his struggles are influenced by the larger interests of his people or Nigeria."
Atiku's team concluded that someone with Lawal's track record is not qualified to speak about what is good for Nigeria. The statement also suggested that the substance of Lawal's criticism was so riddled with falsehoods that it would have been better ignored as the ranting of someone "high on substance," though setting the record straight was necessary.
