Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has accused some governorship candidates of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) of working against the party’s presidential ticket of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso.
Lawal made the claim in a statement issued on Monday night, following a protest by six NDC governorship candidates in the North-East against his appointment as the party’s leader in the zone.
The former SGF specifically accused the NDC governorship candidate in Adamawa State, Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed, of organising the protest and alleged that she was working for the interest of former Vice-President and presidential candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar.
Six NDC governorship candidates had rejected Lawal’s appointment and said they would not recognise him as the leader of the party in the North-East.
The candidates are Ahmed of Adamawa, Ibrahim Muhammad Kashim of Bauchi, Rear Admiral S. Kashim Ibrahim (retd.) of Borno, Dr Babayo Ardo of Gombe, Professor Mohammed Sani of Taraba and Ibrahim M. Shitu of Yobe.
However, Lawal said Ardo and Sani had contacted him to dissociate themselves from the statement, alleging that their names and signatures were used without their knowledge or authorisation.
He said, “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.”
Lawal said he had no personal concern about the protest, arguing that his appointment was a decision of the national leadership of the party, which recruited him and announced him as its leader in the North-East and North-Central zones.
He added that he accepted the position in good faith out of respect for NDC leaders, including Senator Dickson, Obi and Kwankwaso.
According to him, his return to the NDC followed discussions with the party’s leadership and other political figures who wanted him to rejoin the leadership team of Obi’s presidential campaign.
Lawal, who served as chairman of the Planning, Strategy and Implementation team of the Obi campaign in the 2023 election, alleged that his entry into the NDC had unsettled individuals he described as “subversives” working against the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket.
He claimed that some rival political interests had planted “moles” within the NDC, including at the level of governorship candidates, to undermine the party’s presidential campaign in the North-East.
“I know that my joining the NDC at this stage poses a major threat to those working for Atiku from within the NDC as subversives of the Peter/Kwankwaso ticket,” he said.
Lawal also questioned Ahmed’s political activities in Adamawa, alleging that he observed little evidence of NDC activity across the state during his visit between August 25 and September 10.
He further alleged that Ahmed had attempted to replace the party’s recognised state executives with her own appointees, a move he said was rejected by the NDC National Working Committee.
Lawal also accused her of pursuing similar moves in the past while in the APC and ADC, alleging that the disputes contributed to her eventual exit from both parties.
The former SGF urged NDC members in the North-East to disregard what he described as the “antics” of those opposing his appointment and concentrate on winning the party’s candidates in the 2027 elections.
He argued that the governorship candidates should not view the leadership dispute in isolation, noting that the party would also be contesting Senate, House of Representatives and House of Assembly seats across the six states of the North-East.
Lawal further maintained that the popularity of Obi and Kwankwaso would benefit the party’s candidates in the region.
He also urged NDC supporters to remain at polling units on election day to monitor the sorting, counting, recording and collation of results.
He said the party would ensure that “there will be no results alterations or the announcement of changed figures,” adding that such a process would render alleged “moles” ineffective.
