Babachir Lawal says he persuaded Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso to join the ADC coalition before their eventual move to the NDC ahead of 2027
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has said he played a key role in persuading Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to join the African Democratic Congress coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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Lawal made the disclosure during an interview on ARISE Television’s Prime Time on Monday, while reflecting on the political negotiations that preceded the eventual split within the opposition coalition.
Lawal said he was involved in the ADC coalition from its early stages and personally encouraged Obi to commit to the platform after the former Anambra State governor had initially remained hesitant.
“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 he and other members of the coalition persuaded Kwankwaso to join, although he said the former Kano State governor had reservations about working within an arrangement that included former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
“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,” Lawal said.
Lawal’s account comes months after the opposition arrangement around the ADC broke down, with Obi and Kwankwaso subsequently moving to the Nigeria Democratic Congress, where they now form the party’s 2027 presidential ticket.
Lawal himself joined the NDC in September and declared support for the pair.
The former SGF was among politicians involved in the formation of the ADC coalition in 2025.
The coalition later brought together several opposition figures, including Atiku, Obi and Kwankwaso, around efforts to establish a platform ahead of the 2027 election.
Lawal has previously said that Obi never became fully committed to the ADC.
In a May 2026 interview, shortly after Obi and Kwankwaso left the party for the NDC, Lawal said Obi had joined the coalition relatively late and that members had not felt his full commitment to the platform.
The political relationship eventually changed significantly.
Obi and Kwankwaso left the ADC in May 2026 and joined the NDC, with Obi becoming the party’s presidential candidate and Kwankwaso his running mate.
Lawal followed them into the NDC several months later after resigning from the ADC.
Lawal’s departure from the ADC followed his criticism of the party’s presidential primary, which produced Atiku as its candidate.
He alleged that the primary process had been manipulated, a claim that formed part of his explanation for leaving the party.
The former SGF has since openly backed the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket.
At his September 22 reception into the NDC, Lawal said he would work with the party ahead of the 2027 election and was subsequently given a role in coordinating campaign activities in the North-East.
Lawal’s latest comments also come shortly after he disclosed another aspect of the earlier negotiations.
In a separate interview reported on September 28, he said Atiku had previously asked him to persuade Obi to accept the vice-presidential position in an arrangement under the ADC.
Obi has disputed the suggestion that he formally rejected such an offer, saying in a September interview that he was not in a position where the offer had been made to him.
The contrasting accounts offer a glimpse into the negotiations that shaped the opposition’s political realignment ahead of 2027.
What began as an effort to bring several prominent opposition figures onto one platform ultimately produced separate political paths, with Atiku remaining with the ADC while Obi and Kwankwaso moved to the NDC.
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Lawal is now on the NDC side of that divide, having moved from one coalition to another and publicly aligned himself with the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket.
