Lawal alleged that the decision was influenced by ethnic considerations and accused Atiku of playing a role in the substitution. Neither Atiku nor the ADC had responded to the allegations as of the time of filing this report. “This criminal substitution which violates the Electoral Act 2026, the ADC Constitution, and the ADC Primary Elections Guidelines will be tested in the courts and it will fail woefully,” Lawal said. He maintained that the judiciary should determine whether the party acted within the law in selecting its governorship candidate. Lawal predicted that voters in Adamawa State would resist what he described as an attempt to impose a candidate on them.