LAGOS, Nigeria — Nigerian publisher and politician, Dele Momodu, on Monday, June 1, 2026, described Nigeria’s former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, as confused and driven by envy following criticisms of the African Democratic Congress presidential primary won by Nigeria’s former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.
Okay News reports that Momodu made the remarks during an appearance on the Channels Television program Politics Today to address claims by Lawal that the primary process was manipulated. Lawal previously resigned from the political party after alleging that the election process was compromised and lacked democratic transparency.
Momodu dismissed the allegations, stating that no documents or credible evidence had been presented to support the claims, and argued that the resignation would not weaken Abubakar ahead of the 2027 general election.
“I listened patiently to him. He sounded a bit confused about the subject matter,” Momodu said. “He is a man above 70, so at what point did he realise that Atiku is what he is calling him? He said they rigged the election; why didn’t he come with documents?”
Defending the record of Abubakar, Momodu stated that the criticisms appeared to stem from personal dissatisfaction.
“Atiku does not live on government resources. He is a cosmopolitan Nigerian. He has never been investigated, prosecuted or convicted. He minds his business and does not control any state where he is collecting political dividends,” Momodu said. “Listening to him, I feel very sad. It is obvious to me now that someone like Babachir is probably envious of Atiku.”
Dismissing concerns regarding age, Momodu stated that leadership capability should take precedence over age, pointing to other older global leaders like United States politician Donald Trump.
“As long as God has given you life, age should not be a problem. Donald Trump and Atiku are in the same age range,” Momodu said. “The current President of Liberia is over 80 and doing very well. All over the world, older people are still achieving great things in leadership.”
