Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has dismissed opposition to his appointment as the North-East leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), accusing those behind the protest of attempting to sabotage the party’s presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Lawal was reacting to a joint statement by six NDC governorship candidates in the North-East who rejected his appointment as leader of the party in the zone, citing lack of consultation with key stakeholders.
The candidates — Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed of Adamawa, Ibrahim Muhammad Kashim of Bauchi, Rear Admiral S. Kashim Ibrahim (retd.) of Borno, Babayo Ardo of Gombe, Mohammed Sani Yahaya of Taraba and Ibrahim M. Shitu of Yobe — had declared that they would not recognise Lawal as their regional leader.
They argued that the appointment was imposed without consultation with stakeholders who had been building the party’s structures and grassroots support across the region.
But in a statement on Monday, Lawal said two of the candidates, Yahaya and Ardo, had contacted him to dissociate themselves from the statement, claiming that their names and signatures were allegedly inserted without their knowledge or authorisation.
He described the protest as a matter for the national leadership of the party, which, he said, recruited him into the NDC and announced him as the party’s leader in the North-East and North-Central zones.
Lawal said he neither requested the appointment nor received a formal offer before the announcement was made, adding that he accepted it as a gesture of respect to NDC leaders, including Senator Seriake Dickson, Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso.
He said his decision to join the party was also informed by discussions with its leadership and other political figures who wanted him to return to the leadership team of Obi’s campaign after serving as chairman of the Planning, Strategy and Implementation Committee of the 2023 presidential campaign.
Lawal, who was a prominent supporter of Obi during the 2023 presidential election, alleged that some individuals within the NDC were working for former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and had infiltrated the party to undermine the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket.
He claimed that the opposition to his appointment was driven by fears that his presence would strengthen the NDC presidential ticket in the North-East and North-Central zones.
“The Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso ticket has a very massive unassailable lead in the North-East and North-Central zones of Nigeria,” he said, adding that rival political interests could be attempting to plant “moles” within the NDC to sabotage the ticket.
Lawal also singled out Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed, popularly known as Binani, the NDC governorship candidate in Adamawa State, accusing her of organising the protest.
He questioned her seriousness about the governorship contest, alleging that the party had recorded little visible activity across the state.
Lawal said he visited Adamawa between August 25 and September 10 but saw no significant NDC activity in any of the state's 21 local government areas, apart from a poster belonging to a House of Representatives candidate in Gombi.
He further alleged that Ahmed had attempted to replace the party’s recognised executives in Adamawa with her own loyalists after joining the NDC, but that the plan was rejected by the party’s National Working Committee.
He also accused her of pursuing similar moves in the APC and ADC in the past.
The former SGF said he had no concerns about the protest, insisting that his appointment remained the responsibility of the national leadership.
He accused the six candidates of arrogating to themselves the power to determine who could join or lead the party, arguing that the 2027 elections would involve contests for governorship, Senate, House of Representatives and state House of Assembly seats across the six North-East states.
According to him, the popularity of Obi and Kwankwaso would benefit candidates contesting other elective positions on the NDC platform.
Lawal urged party members in the region to disregard what he described as the “antics” of the protesters and concentrate on securing victory for the party's candidates.
He also called on voters and party supporters to remain at polling units during the 2027 election to monitor the sorting, counting and recording of ballots and follow the results through the various collation stages.
He expressed confidence that there would be no alteration of results in the election, saying those attempting to undermine the NDC presidential ticket would ultimately be rendered irrelevant.
The dispute comes at a time the NDC is attempting to consolidate its structures across the North-East ahead of the 2027 elections, with the disagreement over Lawal’s appointment exposing tensions between the party’s national leadership and some of its newly emerged governorship candidates.
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