*Says He Persuaded Obi, Kwankwaso To Join ADC Despite Reservations Over Atiku’s Involvement
FORMER secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has accused the Adamawa State governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Aishatu Dahiru Ahamed, popularly known as Aisha Binani, of supporting African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate in next year’s general elections, Atiku Abubakar, against her party’s Peter Obi.
Lawal, a former ADC member, in a Facebook post on Monday, September 28, while responding to reports that six NDC governorship candidates from the Northeast had rejected his appointment as the leader of the party in the Northeast and North Central zone, lamented that Binani was supporting Atiku instead of Obi.
The six candidates, in a joint statement addressed to the NDC national leadership and its National Leader, Henry Seriake Dickson, vowed not to recognise Lawal in the position, days after Lawal joined the NDC and was assigned the role to oversee the party’s activities and campaigns in the Northeast, saying the decision to appoint him was taken without consulting them or other stakeholders who had been involved in building the party’s structures and mobilising support across the region.
According to them: “After due consideration, we have unanimously resolved not to recognise Babachir Lawal as the Leader of the NDC in the Northeast, and we will not recognise him as such,” arguing that political decisions affecting the region should take into account the views of those operating at the grassroots, stressing that “politics is local.”
The candidate said they were concerned that Lawal’s appointment could affect the party’s prospects in the six Northeast states and did not believe the decision would add electoral value to the party, adding that prior consultation with them would have allowed the national leadership to better understand the political realities and concerns across the region.
They aggrieved candidates urged Dickson and other national leaders to review the appointment and engage them on the matter in the interest of party unity and cohesion ahead of the elections.
In a statement signed by Binani; Ibrahim Muhammad Kashim (Bauchi); Kashim Ibrahim (Borno); Babayo Ardo (Gombe); Mohammed Sani (Taraba); and Ibrahim M. Shitu (Yobe), the candidates, while acknowledging the NDC leadership efforts in providing a platform for political participation ahead of the elections, reiterated that their objection to Lawal’s appointment remained unchanged.
They insisted: “For the avoidance of doubt, our position is collective, firm and final: We do not recognise Babachir Lawal as the leader of the NDC in the Northeast, and we will not recognise him as such.”
However, Lawal accused Binani of orchestrating rebellion, saying he did not ask or lobby for the position, adding that he accepted the offer out of his respect for Dickson and the national leadership of the party, as well as Obi.
The former SGF stated that the NDC governorship candidates in Gombe and Taraba states had reached out to him to dissociate themselves from the statement, noting that Nigeria has no better option other than Obi and Kwankwaso.
He vowed that there would be no alteration of results in 2027, and that moles would be rendered redundant.
He stated: “My attention has been drawn to a trending story on social media to the effect that six gubernatorial candidates of the NDC are protesting my joining the party and my appointment as the leader of the party in the Northeastern Zone of the party.
“I have it on good authority that the charade is being led and organised by a female pretender to the governorship candidacy of Adamawa State.
“It is important to note that this matter of protest is of no worry to me. I consider it to be a matter for the national leadership of the party, which recruited me into the party and declared me the National Leader of the party in the Northeast and North Central zones of the party.
“No formal offer was made to me, nor did I request to be so appointed before the announcement was made. I had accepted it in good faith as a mark of respect to Dickson, Obi and Kwankwaso, all of whom I highly respect and to whom I could not say no,” he wrote.
In a related development, the former SGF recalled how he persuaded Obi and Kwankwaso to join ADC despite their reservations about Atiku’s involvement in the party.
Speaking on a television programme later on Monday, while recounting the negotiations that preceded Obi and Kwankwaso’s entry into the ADC ahead of the party’s primaries, Lawal said Obi was initially hesitant about joining the party, but eventually agreed after he persuaded him, noting: “I attended every meeting of the ADC, and at one time, Obi was playing in and out. I was the one who finally dragged him into the ADC and committed him to joining the ADC.”
He said Kwankwaso also had reservations about joining the coalition because of Atiku’s presence, as the former Kano State governor believed the involvement of the former vice president would undermine the party’s prospects, adding: “We also convinced Kwankwaso to join the ADC, but he was always afraid that with Atiku there, nothing good would ever come out of the ADC.”
Lawal, who was an ally of Atiku, but dumped ADC after its presidential primary that produced the former vice president as its candidate, said Obi shared similar concerns, particularly over the ADC presidential primary.
He stated that Obi preferred a consensus arrangement because he believed a contested primary could favour candidates with greater financial resources and political influence.
According to Lawal, the failure to reach an agreement on a consensus candidate eventually contributed to Obi and Kwankwaso’s final departure from the ADC, having been convinced that the primary process was being manipulated in favour of Atiku.
