Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir Lawal says he pushed former Anambra State governor Peter Obi to join the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and convinced Rabiu Kwankwaso, formerly of Kano State, to also join the party.
Speaking on Arise Television’s “Prime Time” on Monday, Lawal says he attended meetings of the ADC and that he “finally” committed Obi to joining. He also claims to have persuaded Kwankwaso, though he says Kwankwaso was concerned that with Atiku Abubakar involved, “nothing good” would come out of the ADC. Both outlets report Lawal describes himself as among the founding fathers of the ADC coalition formed on July 2, 2025, which produced former Senate President David Mark as national chairman.
The reports add that Lawal says Kwankwaso later left the ADC after the party’s primary election, which he alleges was massively rigged in favor of Atiku as the ADC presidential candidate. One outlet further notes that Lawal recently joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) to support Obi and Kwankwaso as the presidential and vice-presidential candidates, respectively.
