North-East NDC Guber Candidates Reject Babachir Lawal’s Appointment as Campaign Coordinator
Six governorship candidates of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in the North-East have rejected the appointment of former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, as coordinator of the party’s political activities and campaigns in the region ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The candidates, who made their position known in a joint statement addressed to the NDC national leadership and the party’s National Leader, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, said they would not recognise Lawal as the leader of the party in the North-East.
They said the decision to appoint Lawal was taken without consultation with them or other stakeholders who, according to them, had contributed to building the party’s structures and mobilising support across the six states of the region.
The governorship candidates described their position as “collective, firm and final”, stressing that decisions concerning the political direction of the North-East should reflect the views of party stakeholders operating at the grassroots.
They also raised concerns about the possible implications of the appointment for the party’s electoral prospects in the region.
According to them, they were not convinced that Lawal’s appointment would provide additional electoral value to the NDC across the North-East.
The candidates consequently appealed to Dickson and other members of the national leadership to reconsider the appointment and engage with them on the matter in the interest of party unity and cohesion ahead of the 2027 elections.
The signatories to the statement are Aishatu Dahiru Ahamed of Adamawa State; Ibrahim Muhammad Kashim of Bauchi State; Rear Admiral S. Kashim Ibrahim (retd.) of Borno State; Dr Babayo Ardo of Gombe State; Prof. Mohammed Sani of Taraba State; and Ibrahim M. Shitu of Yobe State.
While acknowledging the efforts of the NDC national leadership in providing a platform for political participation ahead of the 2027 elections, the candidates maintained that their opposition to Lawal’s appointment remained unchanged.
Lawal, a former SGF, recently joined the NDC and was subsequently assigned responsibility for coordinating the party’s political activities and campaigns in the North-East.
His appointment has consequently exposed an internal disagreement involving the party’s governorship candidates in the region as preparations for the 2027 elections intensify.
