The chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Primary Electoral Committee in Adamawa State, Dr. Nicholas Msheliza, has alleged that the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, was the one who actually attempted to manipulate the party’s presidential primary election results in the State.
Msheliza made the allegations in a statement issued on Wednesday while responding to recent claims by Babachir that the ADC presidential primary outcome in Adamawa was rigged in favour of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
According to the statement, Msheliza said he had to break his silence on the issue following a publication on June 3, 2026, in some parts of the media (not LEADERSHIP).
Msheliza said according to the publication that Babachir had reportedly alleged that a Returning Officer altered results from Hong Local Government Area of the State, claiming that his preferred aspirant, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, secured 20,000 votes against Atiku’s 1,000 votes before the figures were allegedly changed in favour of the latter in Abuja.
However, Msheliza, who identified himself as both chairman of the ADC electoral committee and the Returning Officer referenced by Babachir, dismissed the allegations as false and rather accused the former SGF of attempting to rewrite events to justify his departure from the party.
“I have watched with amusement how hard he has been trying to justify his actions with phantom excuses of unfair presidential primaries and rigging in favour of Atiku Abubakar,” Msheliza said.
He argued that Babachir either misunderstood or deliberately misrepresented the role of a Returning Officer, stressing that the position does not involve conducting elections or compiling results.
“A Returning Officer does not participate in the election proper or writing of results. The RO only receives already compiled results for collation. I was therefore in no position to reverse results that had already been compiled and submitted for collation,” he stated.
According to Msheliza, the disputed local government area was Hong LGA, Babachir’s home area, where he said Atiku emerged victorious with 11,991 votes, while Hayatu-Deen polled 2,493 votes and former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi secured 377 votes.
He further alleged that after learning of the outcome, Babachir personally contacted him and demanded that the results be altered in favour of Hayatu-Deen.
“When Babachir Lawal got wind of the results, he called and requested that I reverse the results to favour his candidate. I refused to carry out his criminal directive,” Msheliza claimed.
The committee chairman also accused Babachir of subsequently setting up what he described as an illegal parallel electoral committee from Abuja to interfere with the process in Hong, Madagali, Michika and Mubi North local government areas.
“Curiously, one hour after that call, he dissolved and constituted a so-called new electoral committee for Hong Local Government Area from his office in Abuja without recourse to me as the chairman of the electoral committee for Adamawa State,” he alleged.
Msheliza claimed that the committee allegedly created by Lawal conducted operations without official ward electoral materials and submitted what he described as “concocted results.”
Challenging Lawal to substantiate his claims, Msheliza said he was prepared to present documentary evidence to support his account and urged the former SGF to release the result sheets he claimed to possessed for public scrutiny.
“I challenge him to provide them for public scrutiny against the result sheets from the Adamawa State Electoral Committee,” he said.
The ADC chieftain further warned that he could release additional evidence detailing what he described as attempts to compromise the electoral process during the party’s presidential primary.
“If Babachir Lawal has personal scores to settle with Atiku Abubakar, I advise him to choose another means but not to discredit a process in which he was a chief planner but got angry and frustrated because he was stopped in his tracks,” Msheliza added.
