Joy Daniel

THE leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has said that the party is savouring its newfound unity of purpose after the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Engineer David Babachir Lawal, left the platform.

Recall that the former SGF quit ADC in anger to protest the alleged manipulations during the party’s presidential primary, which threw up the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential standard bearer of the party.

Speaking to TheGuardian on the status of the party and its preparedness for the forthcoming general election, the immediate past state chairman of the party, Shahu Yohanna Kambile, said Lawal’s exit from the party was a much-needed redemption that ADC celebrated, stressing that the former SGF was like a cankerworm to the party.

“To me it’s a plus to ADC, everybody became happy, because such people are cankerworm in the party. ADC needed to celebrate because his stay was hurting the party, although he has already actualized his dream but it’s better that he exited at the time he did

“I have been a member of ADC since 2018 and His Excellency Engineer David Babachir Lawal resignation didn’t come to me as a surprise, because it was what we had been calling for. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Babachir Lawal came to ADC as coalition partners from different political parties and were welcomed.

“But my first meeting with Babachir convinced me that he was coming to destroy the party’s unity and he eventually executed that mission, because he kept fighting us the legacy members. He’s the main reason people like Senators Ishaku Abbo, Aisha Ahmed Binani, Baraka and many notable grassroot politicians left the party.

“The high level of impunity that Lawal and his anointed political godson, Barrister Ibrahim Sadik Dasin, brought to the ADC, nearly led to the collapse of the party, but at last he left the party and we are picking up the pieces, because I must say he destroyed the party,” he said.

Kambile, maintained that the SGF’s benchmark of leadership in the party was saddled by impunity, describing the state congress and chairmanship election which escalated the crises within the party leading to major stake holders leaving the party, as an act orchestrated by the Lawal to favour his preferred candidate.

“My team and I bought form worth N70million to recontest for the chairmanship, but to our dismay, Lawal formed a committee that conducted the election. The committee came into town without even contacting or informing us.

“They came and said they have would conduct election. We went to court and the Court asked them not to conduct the election, but they went ahead and concluded the election. At the end of the day, court came out and said the election is null and void of which they appeal the judgment,” he added.

While expressing relief that the ADC has started regaining its initial momentum, Kambile dismissed the former SGF’s allegations against Atiku, saying that they are not only baseless, but also intended to whip cheap religious sentiment.

Kambie stated: “I’m a Christian and I worked closely with His Excellency Atiku Abubakar I know how much he loves and associates with everyone irrespective of tribe and religion, he loves everyone and doesn’t discriminate, he doesn’t have any religious and tribal sentiment and believes in one Nigeria. But, I don’t know why Babachir David Lawal chose to tag the former Vice President as a sentimental person.”