The media office of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate for the 2027 election, has issued a rebuttal against former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir Lawal, accusing him of revisionism, personal attacks, and possible alcohol abuse.
The office has also released a catalogue of Abubakar’s public condemnations of banditry and terrorism across Nigeria to counter Lawal’s claims.
In a press release dated June 7, 2026, and signed by Paul Ibe, the Atiku Media Office said it read with “amusement but concern” what it described as Lawal’s deteriorating mental state.
“We read with amusement but concern for the mental state of former SGF Babachir Lawal, his latest attempt at revisionism of his disgraceful public service record and failed efforts to cause the rigging of the ADC presidential primary,” the statement read in part.
The statement went further to allege that, “It is becoming obvious that Babachir Lawal is going bunkers possibly from the abuse of booze”.
According to the media office, Lawal’s recent personal attacks against the former vice president are a diversionary tactic. The statement alleged that Mr. Lawal presided over “a scam in which he allegedly extorted money to deliver the presidential ticket” but failed “because those charged with the responsibility of conducting the election stopped him in his tracks.”
Atiku’s Security Record Defended
The bulk of the press release was dedicated to defending Mr. Abubakar’s record on national security, specifically his responses to terrorist and banditry attacks in Benue, Plateau, and other states.
The Atiku Media Office noted that despite Mr. Abubakar being Fulani from Adamawa State in the North East region, he has “frequently spoken out and forcefully too” in condemnation of terrorist attacks, banditry, and the escalating wave of kidnappings across Nigeria.
“When responding to these incidents, he often criticizes the Federal Government and the leader of the government of the day, and in this dispensation, President Bola Tinubu, arguing that the country’s security architecture is collapsing and that officials rely on ’empty statements’ rather than taking decisive, preventive action,” the statement read.
The office released a chronology of condemnations of terrorists attacks by Atiku, including links to multiple news reports from major outlets documenting the former vice president’s condemnations of attacks across various states.
The press release concluded with a direct challenge to the former SGF.
“When Babachir Lawal is eventually sober, he may wish to take out time to review some of the links of news reports in which Atiku Abubakar spoke against terrorist and banditry attacks and proffered solutions,” Mr. Ibe said.
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