The Adamawa State chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Shehu Yohanna, has firmly accused the former SGF of actively working within the party to destabilize the ADC and undermine the presidential ambitions of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the lead-up to the 2027 elections.
In a strong statement during an interview with Punch, he asserted that the former SGF is scheming to replace him with a close ally, aiming to seize control of the party’s structure in the state. …CONTINUE READING
However, in an interview with the publication mentioned above, the former SGF described the allegations as “laughable” and “desperate, ” adding that Yohanna is an illegitimate interim chairman afraid of being removed.
He further denied any links to the APC or President Bola Tinubu, insisting he had no intention of supporting the party, now or in the future.
Babachir, who resigned his APC membership recently, has been a critic of the Tinubu administration, firstly before his election over the Muslim-Muslim ticket and for what he termed anti-people policies.
Yohanna alleged that the former SGF was deployed by the ruling APC to spy on ADC, saying that with Lawal, ADC would not move forward.
He further accused Lawal of working hard to replace him with his candidate since he could not control him enough to support his private project.
“Lawal is working to replace me with his tribal man, Suleiman Umana, but his project will not see the light of the day.
“It is not today I started politics, it’s been from my secondary school days to university. I’m not a novice in the game of politics,” he said.
The ADC chairman cautioned Atiku over the antics of the former SGF, adding that the attempt to remove him was to ground the presidential ambition of Atiku in 2027.
Yohanna insisted that the only condition to remove him as chairman was through a delegate congress, not through an individual using illegal means.
He said Atiku would formally receive his ADC membership card in Jada Local Government on August 6.
Reacting, Lawal said, “Yohanna is an interim chairman by arrangement, because he resigned and contested for the House of Representatives in 2023. So he cannot claim to be the legitimate chairman of the party.”
Lawal further said that based on the ADC constitution, Yohanna is not a legitimate chairman but an interim leader.
“Let him go and read the constitution of the party. He should tender the result or report of the congress that elected him. He is just afraid that he is going to be replaced,” he stated.
Speaking on the APC spy allegation, Lawal said, “It is laughable for any normal person to say that I’m working for APC or President Tinubu.
“The people who know me can say that the last thing I will do is to support the APC in my life.”
Lawal said that during the days of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, he only worked for Buhari and not the APC.
“I did not work for any APC candidate, including the Adamawa State governorship candidate, apart from Buhari, so how can I work for Tinubu or APC today?”
