Babachir Lawal claims 2017 scandal was a political setup, criticizes Atiku again

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal has called the 2017 scandal that got him removed from office a political setup. He also criticized Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress.

In a detailed Facebook post responding to backlash over his resignation from the ADC, Mr Lawal defended the contract at the heart of the scandal. He said supporting Atiku would give President Bola Tinubu an easy chance for a second term.

This latest statement adds to his earlier reasons for leaving the ADC, which PREMIUM TIMES reported on before.

Claims of political targeting

Mr Lawal claimed that the controversy was created by politicians who were uncomfortable with his close ties to former President Muhammadu Buhari. He said this relationship goes back to 1971 and that he is a Christian from the Kilba ethnic group.

He said some politicians feared Mr Buhari was planning to promote him to a higher office, which led to efforts to remove him from the influential SGF role.

According to Mr Lawal, a powerful group protested his appointment based on ethnic and religious grounds, but Mr Buhari ignored their objections.

He further claimed that some northern senators worked with allies in the executive and the media to remove him from office. "I find this amusing because it was clearly a setup to get me out of the office," he wrote.

Mr Lawal also said that Mr Buhari dismissed an interim Senate report that recommended his removal. He claimed the report lacked substance and denied him a fair hearing.

But he alleged that pressure from then-Vice President Yemi Osinbajo led to further investigations into the matter.

Background to the controversy

The 2017 controversy involved contracts under the Presidential Initiative on the North-East, an agency supervised by the Office of the SGF.

The Senate accused Mr Lawal of breaking public service rules after a company linked to him got a contract under this initiative. This raised conflict-of-interest concerns. Mr Buhari later suspended and removed him from office.

In 2019, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arraigned Mr Lawal and others on charges of fraud and diversion of public funds related to contracts awarded under this initiative.

However, in November 2022, Justice Charles Agbaza of the High Court in Abuja discharged and acquitted Mr Lawal and his co-defendants. The judge upheld a no-case submission, stating that the prosecution did not prove its case or link the defendants to the alleged offenses.

The EFCC had called 11 witnesses during the trial. After the ruling, the anti-graft agency announced plans to appeal.

Referring to the case in his latest statement, Mr Lawal said the witnesses did not implicate him and that the court's decision proved his point. "In the end, I was discharged and acquitted along with the other accused on a no-case submission," he wrote.

‘Not a grass-cutting contract’

Mr Lawal also disagreed with the common label of the controversy as a "grass-cutting scandal."

He explained that the contract was for clearing invasive Typha grass blocking parts of the Komadugu-Yobe river system. This river is vital for farming, fishing, and livestock in northern Nigeria.

He mentioned that the project covered over 320 kilometres of waterways and included rebuilding 500 hectares of farmland, providing fishing equipment and boats, and offering daily jobs for over 1,000 displaced people for four months.

The former SGF said the consultancy contract linked to his old company, Rholavision Engineering Limited, was worth N7.2 million and was part of a bigger project valued at about N540 million.

He insisted that the project was fully completed, certified by government auditors, and caused no loss of public funds. "So no money was lost by the government, no bribe was given, and no money was laundered," he wrote.

The Komadugu-Yobe Basin has seen interventions from organizations like the World Bank, the African Development Bank, and the Lake Chad Basin Commission due to environmental challenges affecting farming, fishing, and livestock in the area.

Renewed criticism of Atiku

Mr Lawal renewed his attacks on Atiku, whom he has opposed since the ADC presidential primary.

Defending his use of the term "Kachalla" for the former vice president, he questioned Atiku’s handling of insecurity and banditry in northern Nigeria.

Mr Lawal argued that some supporters might see an Atiku presidency as a "Fulani presidency." He urged the ADC to think about replacing him with another candidate before the next general election.

He said supporting Atiku would ultimately help President Tinubu's chances for re-election in 2027.

Reactions

In previous responses to Mr Lawal’s criticism, representatives from the Atiku Media Office rejected his claims and defended the ADC primary and Atiku’s record on national issues.

Atiku’s supporters have said that Mr Lawal’s complaints show he is unhappy with the primary's outcome rather than evidence of any wrongdoing.

The Presidency has also welcomed the ongoing rift. Earlier this week, presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga said Mr Lawal’s criticism should warn the ADC candidate, calling the former SGF’s words damaging to Mr Abubakar’s chances.

Mr Lawal’s latest comments highlight the tensions within the opposition coalition that is using the ADC platform for the 2027 election.

The former SGF said he plans to return to his farm while consulting with political associates on his next move.