Babachir Lawal Claims He Brought Peter Obi Into ADC and Helped Convince Kwankwaso

Babachir Lawal, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, has claimed responsibility for persuading former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi to join the African Democratic Congress (ADC). In an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Monday, September 28, Lawal said he also played a key role in getting former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to join the party. Lawal said he was one of the founding leaders of the ADC coalition, which was formed on July 2, 2025 and chose former Senate President David Mark as National Chairman. According to Lawal, he attended every ADC meeting and recalled that Obi was initially only partially involved. He said he ultimately brought Obi into the ADC and secured his commitment to join. Lawal added that he and others also convinced Kwankwaso to join, but Kwankwaso was consistently worried that Atiku Abubakar’s presence in the ADC would prevent anything positive from emerging. Lawal, an Adamawa State-born politician and one-time close associate of Atiku Abubakar, later left the ADC after its presidential primary. He alleged that the primary that made Atiku Abubakar the ADC presidential candidate was seriously compromised. He has since defected to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) to back the joint presidential ticket of Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso before the 2027 general elections.