Babachir Lawal, a former secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), has asserted that he has proof that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) primary election was rigged.

According to reports, he made the assertion in an appearance with the Channels Television program “Politics Today.”

Lawal claims that he observed the drill while in the field.

He asserted that the statements made by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s supporters were untrue and added that a criminal would not own that he was a thief.

Remember that I served as the National Vice Chairman (Northeast). I have proof because I was on the field during the drill.

By attempting to downplay their actions, Atiku’s people are the ones who are lying. All of us are human. We are aware of their actions.

He stated, “I knew the primary was rigged at the time it was completed and the results were announced.”

Lawal, meantime, has denied allegations that he took money from Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, an African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate.

Lawal reportedly clarified this during an interview on Channels TV in response to claims made by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s supporters that Hayatu-Deen had financial influence on him.

He maintains that he did not receive any money from the ADC candidate and claims the accusation is unfounded.

He insisted that rather than looking for help elsewhere, he could just contact President Bola Tinubu if he ever needed financial support.

The former SGF also questioned the veracity of the accusation, requesting evidence that he and Hayatu-Deen ever exchanged money. He claimed that no proof had been offered to back up the assertion.

Lawal claimed that his endorsement of Hayatu-Deen was based on the candidate’s aptitude for leadership rather than financial gain. He claimed that Hayatu-Deen’s position was informed by his competence and experience.

“I’ll call President Tinubu if I need money right now, and I’ll get it before I get home,” he declared.

Hayatu-Deen doesn’t have any money to donate. Tell me who was present when he handed me the cash. Perhaps he hasn’t delivered it yet. I’ll go get it. It’s not about money, I assure you. Hayatu-Deen was a man who offered his expertise and assistance. Atiku is not as skilled as Hayatu-Deen. They can’t even be in the same boat.

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A former governor of Kano State and senator representing Kano South in the 9th National Assembly, Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya, has lost his bid to return to the Senate on the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

Gaya, who recently defected to the NDC from the All Progressives Congress and the African Democratic Congress, had contested for the party’s ticket to contest the Kano South senatorial seat in the 2027 election.

But he lost the ticket to a former National Association of Road Transport Owners Chairman, Alkasim Ibrahim Batayya.

Kwankwasiyya Spokesperson II, Mansur Kurugu, confirmed that Batayya was a result of a consensus arrangement on Sunday at the Kano residence of former Kano State governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Miller Road.

Gaya had agreed to the results of the consensus process and would work to secure Batayya’s victory at the election, Kurugu said.

“Kabiru Gaya has accepted the decision and promised to give his maximum support for Batayya to win the seat,” he said.

We will continue with the consensus meeting on Monday until all the seats are decided without necessarily going into direct primaries,” he said.

Kwankwaso’s media aide, Saifullahi Hassan, also shared a video of Gaya on Facebook.

In the video, the ex-senator was seen backing the decision and promising support for the party’s preferred candidate.

The development is seen as a huge political blow for Gaya, who served in the Senate from 2015 to 2023.

Gaya also served as governor of Kano State during the Third Republic and has continued to be one of the prominent politicians from Kano South.

“With Batayya emerging as NDC candidate, he is expected to face Kawu Sumaila, who defeated him in the 2023 senatorial election,” it said.

Sumaila won the seat in 2023 on the platform of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) but defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) where he got the party’s 2027 ticket.

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The All Progressives Congress, APC, stakeholders in the Abia Central Senatorial District have condemned the senatorial primary in the zone, stating that they will not accept the alleged farcical show of brigandage as the will of the people.

In a letter of protest to the national leadership of the APC, the stakeholders titled “Irregularities, Brigandage and Breach of Electoral Process in Abia Central Senatorial Primary, lamented it was painful that a few individuals hijacked the process and denied party faithful the opportunity to nominate their representatives.

The protesters, led by Uche Onyejekwe and Mrs Ego Nwamuo, recalled that when the direct primary option was adopted for the nomination of candidates for the Abia Central Senatorial Zone of Abia State, they heaved a sigh of relief as party faithful, believing that at last they had an opportunity to have a say in how their flag bearers would emerge for the 2027 general election.

But the stakeholders said with regret, “We regret to state that the party lost a good opportunity to advertise its commitment to internal democracy and citizens’ inclusivity. At the end of what would have been a day for the celebration of plurality, it became obvious that some desperate and overzealous politicians who insist on the old ways of impunity and gangster strategies hijacked the process and allocated votes, even in wards where no actual balloting took place.

“In view of the foregoing, we most humbly seek your good offices to investigate the breach of process and illegal exclusion of party faithful in the Abia Central Senatorial Primary Election of May 18, 2026.

“We believe that a thorough investigation of this complaint will justify the review of the outcome of the primary and repeat of the process in areas where there is no evidence of public participation,” said the aggrieved protesters.

The protesters also revealed that no member of the Seven-man APC National Assembly Primary Election Committee, INEC officials and security personnel were in most wards and in some local governments. They stressed that APC members were shocked to hear that results were later announced with various fictitious figures allocated to candidates as if a transparent exercise took place.

They added: “We are convinced and we boldly say that there was a predetermined outcome from the beginning as figures were allegedly written and allocated behind closed doors. The confusion was compounded when Hon. Emeka Atumah was eventually declared winner of the primary with outrageous and bewildering figures.

It was surprising that such figures could be allocated when it was quite evident that there was no semblance of an election in most wards. We want video evidence from anyone who says otherwise. Because from Oloko Ward 2, Usaka Ward, Osisioma Wards 2, 3, 8 and 9 and Okporo Ahaba Ward 1, and most other wards, there is an abundance of evidence to show that party members who gathered very early, waited throughout the day, without any accreditation, officials or voting.

“All we heard was that some already prepared results were announced to the public by one Hon Thomas Nkoro who is not a member of the Seven-man Committee from the APC Headquarters, Abuja. “We humble invite the National Leadership of our great party to cross check whether any Thomas Nkoro was sent to announce the results of a primary election that did not hold,” the protesters demanded.

The protesters said party faithful in all the wards in Abia Central Senatorial District are prepared to testify that no primary election was held in their localities especially OLOKO WARD 2, Usaka ward in Ikwuano L.G.A; Ward 2 Osisioma LGA; Ntighauzo primary school; Okporo Ahaba ward 1; Osisioma Ngwa Ward 8.

The stakeholders called on the APC leadership to exercise its discretionary powers to fish out the perpetrators of the confusion for the necessary sanctions and resolve the impasse in the best interest of the party.

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Dr. Allen Idaso Ezekiel-Hart, an aspirant of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, for the Rivers State governorship primary election, has rejected the exercise.

The primary election was a shambolic charade, orchestrated by former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, to impose a preferred candidate, Ezekiel-Hart said.

The aspirant, who spoke to journalists in Abuja on Saturday, alleged that the primary produced three different governorship candidates for the ADC in Rivers State, warning that the development could throw the party into crisis ahead of the 2027 elections if the national leadership does not intervene.

“Presently, we have three governorship candidates in one party, and this is because of Amaechi’s high-handedness,” Ezekiel-Hart alleged.

He also alleged that while the party’s official timetable had fixed the governorship primary for May 23, aspirants were suddenly told Friday night that the exercise had been brought forward.

“While I was mobilising supporters in the 23 local government areas ahead of the scheduled poll, a fellow aspirant, Farah Dagogo, told me that a parallel exercise had earlier been conducted without my knowledge today (Thursday).

Ezekiel-Hart said only five aspirants believed to be loyal to Amaechi were invited by the state party chairman, the Chief Chukwudi Dimkpa, apart from himself and Dagogo.

He called the process a “kangaroo arrangement” allegedly designed to pave way for Gabriel P. Thompson who he said has been long installed as Amaechi’s preferred candidate.

He alleged that three aspirants were persuaded to withdraw for Thompson in a consensus arrangement camouflaged as a consensus arrangement despite the party’s public claim that there would be no consensus candidate.

He also disclosed that Dagogo had later come to him with the suggestion that they should team up to fight what he described as “Amaechi’s camp”. However, he said, Dagogo also allegedly asked him to publicly congratulate him as the winner.

He told me to go on air and congratulate him that we are from Atiku Abubakar’s political family and should unite. I told him to stop rubbishing Atiku’s name Atiku will not be in this nonsense,” said Ezekiel-Hart.

He alleged that Dagogo had even offered him political bribe, including possible appointment as Secretary to the State Government, if he endorsed his self-declared victory.

Ezekiel-Hart said he rejected the offer and later declared himself winner after Dagogo had earlier publicly declared himself winner.

‘As it is, Farah declared himself winner, Thompson was declared winner by the state exco, I also declared myself winner. Three winners in a primary that never happened. “That cannot be,” he said.

Ezekiel-Hart alleged that the Rivers ADC leadership had been systematically sidelining him, saying he was the only aspirant that notified the party in writing of his intention to contest and with documented acknowledgement from the party secretariat.

The former governor also accused Amaechi of trying to replicate what he termed a long-standing culture of political imposition.

“How can someone who is demanding transparent presidential primaries in the country turn around and impose a governorship candidate in Rivers?” he asked.

Ezekiel-Hart further alleged that the former minister had not explained his political role in the 2015 presidential transition that ousted former President Goodluck Jonathan.

“He owes the South-South apology for what he did to Jonathan and mortgaging the political future of this region.”

Ezekiel-Hart urged the ADC National Working Committee to immediately cancel the controversial exercise and conduct a fresh primary or adopt a consensus arrangement in line with the electoral timetable issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The most pragmatic approach at this point is for the NWC to call for a rescheduled primary or to push through a lawful consensus option. He suggested, “Time is running out.

Similarly, Ezekiel-Hart cautioned Dagogo against the continuous mention of Atiku’s name to strengthen his case.

He should stop dragging Atiku’s name in the mud in Rivers. “Let me tell you, Atiku is our father, nobody should be saying that he is imposing a candidate here.”

“We will exhaust every legal channel within the party,” he said. “We will pursue all grievances strictly within the framework of the party constitution. “I am not going to rock the boat unnecessarily but the party has to recognise that I won the primaries.”410

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President Bola Tinubu and his wife, the First Lady of Nigeria, Remi Tinubu, on Saturday participated in the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary election.

President Tinubu and the First Lady were reported to have participated in the APC Presidential Primary at Ward E in Ikoyi, Lagos State.

The President’s political song, ‘on your mandate’, filled the air upon arrival at the venue of the exercise, which had a crowd of supporters and APC members.
Recall that it had earlier reported that members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will today Saturday, 23rd May, 2026 participate in the party’s primary election to select their presidential flag bearer for the 2027 general elections.

The exercise will be participated in by about 14 million registered APC members across 8,809 wards nationwide.

The National Chairman of the APC, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, recently said the party membership base had risen to about 14 million.

“We have over 13 million, we are heading to 14 million registered members of the party, out of the number, people between the age of 18 and 35 form roughly about 50% of our members, 49. 6% which means that we are the most youthful party in Nigeria,” Yilwatda said in the media chat.

The only aspirants jostling for the ruling party’s ticket for the 2027 presidential election are President Bola Tinubu and Osifo Stanley.

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