Isaac Samuel
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), three months after leaving the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Lawal was unveiled as a member of the NDC in Abuja on Tuesday.
His move comes as opposition politicians continue to realign their political platforms ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The former SGF had resigned his membership of the ADC in June following the party’s presidential primary, which produced former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its candidate.
Lawal alleged that the ADC primary process had been manipulated in favour of Atiku and said he could not remain in a party whose internal processes he considered compromised.
The allegations were disputed within the party.
His departure from the ADC followed an earlier period in which he had been associated with the opposition coalition that eventually produced the ADC as its political platform.
Lawal had also publicly backed the possibility of a political arrangement involving Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso.
Obi and Kwankwaso had earlier left the ADC and joined the NDC in May, citing internal disputes and uncertainty surrounding the ADC.
Lawal subsequently spoke favourably about an Obi-Kwankwaso ticket on the NDC platform, although those comments were framed by him as his assessment of the political situation ahead of the 2027 election.
His latest move therefore brings him into the same political platform as Obi and Kwankwaso, as the NDC positions itself ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Lawal served as SGF under former President Muhammadu Buhari before he was removed from office in 2017 following allegations surrounding contracts awarded through the Presidential Initiative for the North East (PINE).
Lawal has since described the controversy that led to his removal as a political setup, a claim that has been contested.
