Former SGF says Obi–Kwankwaso ticket offers a new political direction ahead of 2027
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has formally joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), three months after his controversial exit from the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Lawal was unveiled as a member of the NDC in Abuja on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, where he declared his support for the party’s presidential ticket of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The development represents a significant political movement by the former SGF, who had been associated with the opposition coalition before his departure from the ADC following the party’s presidential primary.
Lawal left the ADC in June after alleging that the party’s presidential primary had been manipulated in favour of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. He said at the time that he did not want to remain part of a political process he believed was fundamentally compromised.
The allegation triggered a public response from the Atiku camp, which rejected Lawal’s claims and maintained that the ADC primary reflected the choice of party members. Atiku’s representatives also challenged Lawal to provide evidence to substantiate his allegations.
Three months later, Lawal has now chosen the NDC as his new political platform and publicly aligned himself with the Obi–Kwankwaso ticket.
Speaking during his unveiling, Lawal called on Nigerians concerned about insecurity, poverty and economic hardship to identify with the NDC and support its presidential candidates. He said the country’s current challenges require a political response capable of producing a different direction for Nigeria.
Lawal was quoted as saying that it had become convincing for him to partner with the NDC towards the objective of installing Peter Obi as President and Rabiu Kwankwaso as Vice President.
His declaration places him firmly within the NDC’s presidential campaign structure and adds his political experience and northern connections to the party’s expanding coalition ahead of the January 2027 election.
The NDC National Leader, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, received Lawal into the party alongside other senior NDC officials. Reports indicate that Lawal is expected to play a leadership role in the party’s mobilisation and campaign activities across the North-East.
Lawal’s political journey ahead of the 2027 election has therefore taken him from the APC, where he previously served as SGF under former President Muhammadu Buhari, to the ADC opposition coalition and now to the NDC.
His latest move also comes at a period when opposition parties are consolidating structures, personalities and grassroots networks ahead of the January 16, 2027 presidential election.
For the NDC, Lawal’s entry provides another prominent northern political figure publicly backing the Obi–Kwankwaso ticket. For Lawal, the move marks a new phase following his disagreement with the ADC’s presidential primary process and his subsequent decision not to support Atiku Abubakar’s candidacy.
The former SGF’s defection is consequently expected to attract considerable attention in the North-East and across the wider opposition political landscape as the 2027 campaign gathers momentum.
