Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has said he played a major role in convincing Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso to join the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 elections.
Lawal said both politicians initially had reservations about joining the opposition coalition, particularly because of the involvement of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
He made the disclosure during an appearance on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Monday, while discussing the negotiations that preceded Obi and Kwankwaso’s entry into the ADC.
According to Lawal, Obi was initially undecided about joining the party and moved between supporting and distancing himself from the proposed coalition before eventually committing to it.
“I attended every meeting of the ADC, and at one time, Peter Obi was playing in and out. I was the one who finally dragged Peter into the ADC and committed him to joining the ADC,” Lawal said.
He also claimed that Kwankwaso was reluctant to join because of Atiku’s presence within the coalition.
“We also convinced Kwankwaso to join the ADC, but he was always afraid that with Atiku Abubakar there, nothing good would ever come out of the ADC,” he said.
Lawal said Obi also had concerns about the party’s planned presidential primary, particularly over whether the process would produce a consensus candidate.
According to him, Obi preferred a consensus arrangement because he believed a competitive primary could give an advantage to politicians with greater financial resources and established political structures.
The former SGF said efforts to reach a consensus eventually failed, contributing to Obi and Kwankwaso’s decision to leave the ADC.
Lawal alleged that both politicians subsequently became convinced that the party’s primary process was being tilted in favour of Atiku.
The former government official, who had previously been an ally of Atiku, also left the ADC following the presidential primary that produced Atiku as its candidate.
Lawal had subsequently alleged that the primary was heavily manipulated, a claim Atiku and other party figures disputed.
The political developments later saw Lawal move to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), a platform that is backing Obi and Kwankwaso as its presidential and vice-presidential candidates respectively ahead of the 2027 election.
Lawal’s account offers his version of the negotiations and disagreements that shaped the opposition coalition, including the concerns surrounding Atiku’s role and the eventual breakdown of the arrangement involving Obi and Kwankwaso.
Source: Arise News.
