Babachir Lawal: How I Dragged Obi into ADC, Convinced Kwankwaso to Join Coalition
• Reveals both politicians feared Atiku’s influence, preferred consensus •Says he quit ADC after manipulation of its presidential primary • Claims he drove Tinubu’s 2022 campaign strategy that delivered APC
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has revealed how he lured Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso into the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and convinced Kwankwaso to join the coalition. Obi and Kwankwaso, both political figures, had concerns about former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s potential role in the ADC and favored a consensus approach for selecting its presidential candidate.
Lawal, now affiliated with the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), claimed he played a pivotal role in uniting the opposition coalition. He personally convinced Obi to join the ADC and utilized his long-standing connection with Kwankwaso to persuade him to become a member. The main dispute within the ADC was centered around Atiku’s presence and the determination of the party’s presidential candidate.
The duo, Obi and Kwankwaso, eventually decided to leave the party due to the inability to reach a consensus. Lawal's tenure involved supporting the chairman and attempting to rectify issues arising from the congresses. He admitted that his efforts to appoint trustworthy individuals to congress committees in his zone were unsuccessful.
Lawal, a lifelong acquaintance of Peter Obi and an informed observer of Rabiu Kwankwaso's career as defense minister, governor of Kano State, and head of Kano water agency, claimed to have driven the 2022 APC campaign strategy that resulted in Tinubu's nomination.
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