Ex-SGF Babachir Lawal joins NDC

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal has joined the Nigeria Democratic Party a few months after resigning from the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Mr Lawal announced his defection in Abuja on Tuesday at a gathering of the party’s leaders.

He left the ADC in June after he alleged that its presidential primary, which produced former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, was manipulated.

“I sense a conspiracy of silence of which I want no part. Most members of the party are behaving as if this is the normal thing to do. Results were just written or rewritten to favour him and his coven. Even where they allowed some semblance of (an) election to hold, the winners were simply replaced with members of his syndicate. In the real sense, it was a disgraceful charade,” he had stated.

Mr Lawal, a Christian, was a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), but formally dumped the ruling party in June 2025 following his disagreement earlier in 2023 over the Muslim-Muslim ticket of Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima.

He served as SGF for a few years during the first tenure of late President Muhammadu Buhari. He resigned from the position following an alleged contract scandal. He was later discharged and acquitted in November 2022.

Mr Lawal, an indigene of Adamawa State, said he joined the NDC because of the programme of the party, and urged Nigerians concerned about the lingering security challenge, hunger, ignorance, and other challenges to back the party.

“Anybody in Nigeria who has the interest of our country at heart and sympathy for the suffering that is ongoing in our country, along with insecurity, hunger, ignorance and disease, will have no choice but to join a party that represents the future and has Peter (Obi) and Kwankwaso as their candidates.

“Every sensible and patriotic Nigerian ought to understand this. It is now convincing to partner with the NDC to see to the fulfilment of the very noble objective of installing Obi as the president and Kwankwaso as vice president. So, by the grace of God, we look forward to May 29, 2027, to celebrate the feat properly for the good of the country, and future of generations yet unborn,” he said.

While welcoming Mr Lawal into the NDC, its National Leader, Seriake Dickson, said the former SGF was a political mobiliser and activist with huge experience in politics.

“Babachir Lawal does not need any introduction. He was the former secretary to the government of our country, who did well. But behind the official designations that are known, what is not known is that he’s a great mobiliser. He’s actually some sort of political activist also.

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“He has seen it all and seen parties that were promising but failed to deliver on the promised change. These are parties that have taken our country from top to bottom, and now they are even digging the ground to bury the country. On behalf of the national working committee and our candidates, Peter Obi and his running mate, Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso, we welcome you.

“We are pleased to have you play a leadership role that only you can play at those levels. You will oversee the activities of the NDC and our campaigns in the North-eastern part of Nigeria. We count on you, therefore, to help resolve issues, give guidance and direction to the activities of all our candidates and our campaigns in those zones,” Mr Dickson said.