Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has returned to active partisan politics, joining the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) three months after quitting the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Lawal formally joined the NDC on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, at the Abuja residence of the party’s National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, where he also declared support for the party’s presidential ticket of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The development also comes with a strategic role for the former SGF, as Dickson announced that Lawal would oversee the NDC’s activities and campaign operations in the North-East.
Dickson said Lawal’s political experience and mobilisation capacity would be deployed to strengthen the party’s structures and guide its candidates and campaign teams in the region.
“We are pleased to have you play a leadership role that only you can play at those levels. You will oversee the activities of the NDC and our campaigns in the North Eastern part of Nigeria,” Dickson said.
He added that Lawal would be expected to help resolve issues and provide “guidance and direction” to the activities of the party’s candidates and campaigns in the zone.
For Lawal, his latest political move followed months of uncertainty after his June resignation from the ADC.
He had alleged that the party’s presidential primary was manipulated in favour of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, a claim he cited among his reasons for leaving the party.
The allegation was his own account of the circumstances surrounding his resignation.
Speaking after his reception into the NDC, Lawal linked his return to active politics to concerns about the conditions facing Nigerians, including insecurity, hunger, poverty and other socio-economic challenges.
He said Nigerians who were concerned about the country’s situation should support the NDC and its presidential ticket.
“Anybody in Nigeria who has the interest of our country at heart and sympathy for the suffering that is ongoing in our country, along with insecurity, hunger, ignorance and disease, will have no choice but to join a party that represents the future and have Peter and Kwankwaso as their candidates,” Lawal said.
He further declared his intention to work for the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket, saying he looked forward to May 29, 2027, which he described as a date for celebrating what he called the achievement of the party’s objective.
Lawal’s entry adds another layer to the NDC’s ongoing preparations for the 2027 elections, coming after Obi and Kwankwaso formally joined the party in May.
The former SGF’s assignment now places him at the centre of the NDC’s political mobilisation in the North-East, where he is expected to coordinate party activities and campaigns as the 2027 electoral contest draws closer.
