Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has responded to criticism by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, defending the credibility of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) primary process.

Atiku noted that the same primary election process Lawal has described as fraudulent also produced his cousin, Omar Suleiman, as the ADC governorship candidate in Adamawa State, a result he said Lawal has not questioned.

The former vice president argued that Nigerians are entitled to ask whether the process was considered credible when it favoured Lawal’s family and only deemed flawed when it produced a presidential candidate he did not support.

Atiku further maintained that Lawal’s criticisms appear to stem more from dissatisfaction with the outcome of the primary election than from genuine concerns about electoral integrity.