Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has claimed that he was instrumental in bringing former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi into the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Lawal made the claim during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Monday, where he also said he played a role in convincing former Kano State Governor Rabi’u Kwankwaso to join the party.
The former SGF said he was among the founding figures of the ADC coalition established on July 2, 2025, which produced former Senate President David Mark as the party’s national chairman.
According to Lawal, Obi was initially undecided about joining the ADC before he eventually convinced him to commit to the party.
“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,” he said.
Lawal also claimed that he and others persuaded Kwankwaso to join the ADC, but said the former Kano governor had reservations because of Atiku Abubakar’s presence in the party.
“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,” he said.
Lawal, who had previously been an ally of Atiku, later left the ADC following the party’s presidential primary election.
He subsequently alleged that the primary election that produced Atiku as the ADC’s presidential candidate was massively rigged.
Lawal recently joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), where he has declared his support for Peter Obi and Rabi’u Kwankwaso as the party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates respectively.
His latest comments come amid political realignments ahead of the 2027 general election, with several opposition figures moving between political platforms and coalition groups.
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