Ex-SGF Babachir Lawal States North Will Support Candidate Who Understands Its Challenges, Regardless of Origin

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has indicated a shift in the North’s political strategy ahead of the 2027 presidential election, emphasizing that the region will support any candidate—irrespective of ethnic or political background—who genuinely understands and is committed to addressing its challenges.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Lawal, who previously backed Labour Party’s Peter Obi in 2023, signaled that his support for Obi in the forthcoming polls is not guaranteed. He explained that the criteria used in 2023 to select candidates will be different for 2027, as political dynamics have evolved significantly.

“Things have changed. The parameters we used to evaluate our candidate in 2023 are going to be different this time,” Lawal remarked. “We’ll see how it goes.” He nevertheless acknowledged that Obi was the “true winner” of the 2023 presidential election.

On the political posture of the North, Lawal disclosed the formation of the Nigerian People’s Consultative Political Forum (North)—a coalition of prominent northern politicians outside the government. The forum aims to foster unity within the region and ensure that the North votes as a cohesive bloc in future elections.

“We call this the Nigerian People’s Consultative Political Forum, North, where almost every significant northern politician not in government attends. Our goal is to address disunity and agree that voting as a bloc is essential to achieving our goals,” Lawal said.

He stressed that the forum agreed to back only candidates who clearly comprehend the region’s issues and are willing to tackle them head-on, regardless of whether they are from the North, the South, or elsewhere.

“Eventually, we agreed that this can only be pursued effectively if we unite under one solid political party, which we believe is the African Democratic Congress (ADC),” Lawal added.