‘Your Heart Is Full Of Bitterness, I Pity You’ — Atiku Fires Back At Babachir Over Ethnic Slurs 

Former VicFe President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has lashed out at former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal, saying the latter’s recent public comments revealed “a heart full of bitterness” and a man increasingly driven by anger rather than reason.

The criticism was contained in a statement released on Sunday and signed by Phrank Shaibu, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication to Atiku, in which the former vice president accused Babachir of resorting to ethnic profiling, prejudice, and conspiracy theories in his attacks against him over mere political difference.

The former vice president, however, reserved his strongest words for Babachir’s recent comments, saying they reflected a man consumed by resentment.

“His heart appears full of bitterness and his public utterances increasingly reflect anger rather than reason, grievance rather than evidence. While we do not share his hostility, we genuinely pity him. Politics should not reduce a man to a permanent state of outrage,” Atiku said.

“Mr. Lawal would be better served by stepping away from the politics of hate and embracing the kind of reflection and personal healing that can restore perspective and balance. Nigeria needs statesmen, not merchants of bitterness.”

Atiku said it was unfortunate that a man of Babachir’s standing had “chosen to abandon facts and reason in favour of ethnic profiling, prejudice, and conspiracy theories in his desperate attempt to discredit a political opponent.”

According to Atiku, despite Babachir’s lengthy public attacks, he failed to provide any evidence to support what he described as grave allegations against him.

“Throughout his lengthy public attacks, Babachir Lawal failed to present a single piece of evidence to support his grave allegations, choosing instead to invite Nigerians to substitute suspicion for proof and emotion for facts,” the statement said.

Atiku argued that the most troubling aspect of Lawal’s intervention was not the criticism itself, but what he described as repeated attempts to associate an entire ethnic group with criminality.

“He said it was both dangerous and irresponsible to suggest that any Nigerian should be judged, condemned, or held accountable for crimes committed by individuals simply because they share a common ancestry,” he stated.

The former vice president warned that such a mindset had historically fuelled division and weakened national unity.

“By such flawed reasoning, every ethnic nationality in Nigeria could be collectively blamed for the actions of a few criminal elements within their communities, a mindset that has historically fuelled division and undermined national unity,” he said.

Atiku also pointed to what he described as the irony of Babachir’s position, noting that the former SGF was appointed by a Fulani man, former President Muhammadu Buhari, to the highest office he ever occupied in public service.

“At no point did Mr. Lawal object to receiving such trust and elevation from a Fulani President. He accepted the office, the privileges, and the prestige that came with it. It is therefore difficult to understand why he now seeks to stigmatise an entire ethnic group merely because another Fulani man seeks the presidency through democratic means,” Atiku stated.

The former vice president further questioned what he described as contradictions in Babachir’s public conduct, noting that on the same day he attacked him, he was reportedly granting interviews boasting of his political relevance and claiming that several governors wanted him back in the APC.

“Nigerians are entitled to ask a simple question: which Babachir should they believe? The Babachir who claims to be a victim of political conspiracies and ethnic domination, or the Babachir who boasts that governors are scrambling for his services?

“One moment, he presents himself as a lonely patriot standing against an imagined threat to Nigeria. The next moment, he portrays himself as a prized political asset being courted by powerful governors. Such contradictions expose a man struggling to reconcile personal disappointment with political reality,” he said.

Atiku maintained that Lawal was free to return to the APC if he wished but said he could not hide personal political ambitions behind claims of patriotism.

“If Mr. Lawal truly believes that his political future lies in the APC, he is perfectly free to return. What he cannot do is cloak personal political calculations in the language of patriotism while expecting Nigerians not to notice the inconsistency,” he added.

The ADC presidential candidate also dismissed claims that he had been indifferent to victims of violence across the country, insisting that he had consistently condemned terrorism, banditry, kidnappings, communal violence and attacks on both Christian and Muslim communities.

Recalling violence in Kagoro, Southern Kaduna, Atiku said he stood with victims regardless of ethnicity or religion.

“When tragedy struck the people of Kagoro in Southern Kaduna, he did not ask whether the victims were Christians or Muslims, northerners or southerners, Fulani or non-Fulani. Instead, he attended a church thanksgiving service to identify with the grieving community, commiserate with families affected by the violence, and demonstrate solidarity with fellow Nigerians in their moment of pain.”

“Leadership is not about counting tribes or measuring faith. It is about standing with people in moments of difficulty regardless of their ethnic or religious identity. That has always been my approach and it will continue to be,” he stated.

Atiku also cited his support for some of the released Chibok schoolgirls, noting that he facilitated scholarships for them at the American University of Nigeria.

“Those young women are living proof that compassion is more powerful than bitterness and that nation-building requires action, not merely rhetoric. While some people chose to exploit national tragedies for political narratives, others chose to invest in healing and hope,” he said.

Defending his record as an entrepreneur, Atiku said his investments had created jobs, expanded educational opportunities and contributed significantly to national development.

“The American University of Nigeria stands as a visible and enduring monument to what private initiative can achieve. Thousands of graduates and their families are beneficiaries of that vision. No amount of political bitterness can erase those facts,” he added.

He argued that Nigeria’s future should not be built on “fear, ethnic suspicion, religious division, or inherited prejudice,” but on practical solutions to insecurity, economic hardship, unemployment, educational decline and the growing despair confronting millions of Nigerians.

“Nigeria deserves a conversation about the future, not endless bitterness about the past. Our people deserve leaders who unite rather than divide, heal rather than inflame, and build rather than destroy,” he said.