Wahala Rocks NDC As All 6 North-East Governorship Candidates Reject Buhari’s Ex-Aide Babachir Lawal’s Leadership
The wind of “wahala” and crisis is blowing in the opposition Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as all its six governorship candidates in the North-East have rejected the appointment of former Secretary to the Government of the Federation under President Muhammadu Buhari, Babachir Lawal, as the party’s leader in the sub-region.
In their joint statement addressed to the national leadership of the party, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, on Sunday, the governorship candidates said they would not recognise Babachir Lawal in the position.
They described their rejection as “collective, firm and final.”
Babachir Lawal formally joined NDC last week, months after he publicly criticised Peter Obi for defecting from their African Democratic Congress (ADC), to NDC.
Party leader Senator Seriake Dickson immediately assigned Lawal to coordinate the NDC’s political activities and campaigns in the North-East and North-Central.
However, the governorship candidates on Sunday declared that the appointment was made without consultation with them or other key stakeholders who, according to them, had been directly involved in building the party’s structures and mobilising support across their respective states.
“After due consideration, we have unanimously resolved not to recognise Engr. Babachir Lawal as the Leader of the NDC in the North-East, and we will not recognise him as such,” they stated.
They argued that politics was local and urged the national leadership to take into account the views of those directly involved in the party’s activities and electoral mobilisation across the region.
The gubernatorial candidates further expressed concern that the appointment could affect the party’s electoral prospects in the North-East, saying they were of the view that the decision would not add electoral value to the party in the region.
According to them, consultations with the governorship candidates before the appointment would have enabled the national leadership to better understand the political realities and concerns in the six states.
They therefore appealed to the national leadership to review the appointment and engage the affected governorship candidates in the interest of party unity, cohesion and the strengthening of the NDC ahead of the 2027 elections.
The statement was signed by Aishatu Dahiru Ahamed of Adamawa State, Barr. Ibrahim Muhammad Kashim of Bauchi State, Real Admiral S. Kashim Ibrahim (Rtd) of Borno State, Dr. Babayo Ardo of Gombe State, Prof. Mohammed Sani of Taraba State and Ibrahim M. Shitu of Yobe State.
The candidates, while acknowledging the efforts of the NDC national leadership in providing a platform for political participation ahead of the 2027 elections, maintained that their objection to Lawal’s appointment remained unchanged.
