Babachir Lawal’s Perennial Journey from One Party to Another

Babachir Lawal has been a member of six political parties since 2002, and this pattern of switching allegiance reveals more than a single defection. On September 22, he joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), following his exit from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) three months prior. Lawal's current NDC affiliation aligns him with Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, who are set to be the party's presidential and vice-presidential candidates in 2027.

In May, Lawal criticized Obi for not supporting the ADC earlier. He left the ADC in June, alleging a rigged presidential primary in favor of Atiku Abubakar—a claim the ADC denied. Prior to that, Lawal had been part of the Labour Party during the 2023 election cycle, campaigning for Obi under a different party. His political journey began in 2002 with the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP), where he coordinated Muhammadu Buhari's campaign in Adamawa.

Lawal then joined Buhari in the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in 2010. When the two parties merged in 2013, Lawal was part of the committee that facilitated the fusion. He became the Secretary to the Government of the Federation in 2015 but was removed in 2017 due to controversy surrounding the Presidential Initiative for the North East, which he described as a political setup.

He remained in the APC until late 2022, when he opposed the party's Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket. At the NDC, National Leader Seriake Dickson appointed him to lead the party's North-East campaign structure, leveraging decades of regional networks he had built while switching between five previous parties. It remains to be seen if the NDC will become a stable platform or just another stop on Lawal's ongoing political journey.

His future within the party will likely hinge more on the outcomes of the 2027 primaries than on any speeches about national salvation, as the party continues to establish its own power structure.