Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir David Lawal has dismissed protests by six Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) gubernatorial candidates over his appointment as party leader in the North East, alleging that some of the signatories are agents of Atiku Abubakar working to sabotage the Obi/Kwankwaso ticket ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Lawal Claims Signatories Did Not Authorise Protest
In a statement released via his Facebook page on Monday, September 28, 2026, Lawal said two of the signatories to the protest document — Professor Mohammed Sani Yahaya of Taraba State and Dr Babayo Ardo of Gombe State — had personally contacted him to say their names and signatures were included without their knowledge or consent.
Lawal also accused a female Adamawa State governorship aspirant of leading the protest, referring to her as a "female pretender" to the ticket. He later made clear he was referring to Senator Aisha, though he did not name her directly in most of the statement.
Appointment Came From NDC National Leadership
The former SGF said his appointment came at the initiative of the NDC national leadership, including Senator Dickson, Peter Obi, and Rabiu Kwankwaso, and that no formal request was made on his part before the announcement. He said he accepted the role in good faith out of respect for those leaders, having previously chaired the 12-member Planning, Strategy and Implementation team for the 2023 Obi/Kwankwaso presidential campaign.
Lawal argued that his presence in the party posed a direct threat to those he described as "wolves in sheep's skin." He also cast doubt on the seriousness of the Adamawa governorship aspirant leading the protest, noting that he organised professors' time in the state between August 25 and September 10 and found no meaningful NDC activity across all 21 local government areas, except for a single tattered poster in Gombi belonging to a House of Representatives candidate.
Lawal Urges Supporters to Ignore 'Fifth Columnists'
Lawal said the NDC national leadership, not gubernatorial candidates, held the authority to determine party leadership appointments. He urged NDC supporters in the North East to ignore what he called "fifth columnists" and concentrate on delivering victory for all party candidates in the 2027 elections, covering House of Assembly, House of Representatives, and Senate seats across six states.
He warned that those disrupting party unity would only harm themselves and asked voters to remain at polling units on election day to monitor sorting, counting, and collation of results until the process was fully completed.
Peter Obi left the African Democratic Congress on May 2, 2026, and was ratified as the NDC presidential candidate on May 29, 2026.
