Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has disclosed that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar once sent him to persuade Peter Obi to accept the vice-presidential slot under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Lawal made this disclosure during an interview with Diaspora Digital Media. He claimed Atiku wanted Obi to return to the political arrangement and serve as his running mate on the ADC platform.
According to Lawal, Atiku had a broader political plan involving constitutional amendments that would change the presidential system from the existing two-term arrangement to a single six-year tenure. He said the arrangement would allow Atiku to serve for four years before the Constitution was amended to introduce a single six-year presidential term. Lawal said he was personally assigned by Atiku to take the proposal to Obi.
Lawal recounted his meeting with Obi, saying he travelled to meet the former Anambra State governor despite the heavy rain that day. Obi reportedly did not like the idea very much. Lawal’s account gives further details about the political discussions that took place while opposition figures were trying to build a common platform ahead of the 2027 election.
Atiku, Obi and other opposition leaders had initially been part of the coalition that adopted the ADC as a platform for the 2027 election. The arrangement later suffered a major split. Atiku eventually emerged as the ADC presidential candidate, while Obi moved to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), where he became the presidential candidate.
The disagreement also affected Lawal’s relationship with the ADC. Lawal resigned from the party in June 2026 after the ADC presidential primary that produced Atiku as its candidate. He alleged that the primary process had been manipulated in favour of the former vice president. Atiku’s camp rejected the allegations and described Lawal’s position as unfounded.
At the ADC presidential primary, Atiku was declared the winner ahead of former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi and former FSB International Bank managing director Mohammed Hayatu-Deen. The party later selected Amaechi as Atiku’s running mate for the 2027 presidential election. This development effectively ended speculation that Obi could return to the ADC as Atiku’s running mate.
Obi has also publicly addressed claims that he rejected an offer from Atiku to become his running mate. Lawal has since moved to the NDC and publicly backed the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket. At the event, Lawal urged Nigerians to support the NDC ticket, citing issues including insecurity, economic hardship, hunger and other challenges confronting the country.
Key points
- Atiku Abubakar asked Babachir Lawal to persuade Peter Obi to be his running mate on the ADC platform for the 2027 presidential election.
- Lawal claims Atiku had a plan to amend the constitution to a single six-year presidential term if Obi agreed to be his running mate.
- The disagreement between Atiku and Obi led to Lawal’s resignation from the ADC and his eventual move to the NDC.
