Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (Babachir Lawal) has outlined a new northern political strategy ahead of the 2027 presidential election, advocating for unity and shared regional interests over traditional political allegiances.
Speaking on Channels Television, Lawal made clear that his previous support for Peter Obi in 2023 might not carry over, noting that political realities have shifted.
“They say a day in politics is long. Things have changed. The parameters we used to evaluate our candidate in 2023 are going to be different this time… Things have moved on, so we’ll see when we get there. We’ll see how it goes.”
Lawal reaffirmed his belief that Obi was the rightful winner of the 2023 election.
“Obi was the ‘true winner’ of the 2023 presidential election,” he said.
He revealed that a coalition of northern politicians, operating outside government, has formed the Nigerian People’s Consultative Political Forum (North). Their aim is to address regional disunity by voting as one.
“We had a group of people who started meeting with like minds… almost every significant northern politician who is not in government attends our meetings… So, we agreed that we must vote as a bloc. If we don’t vote as a bloc, we will not be able to achieve our goals.”
Lawal emphasized that the North will cast its support for any candidate, regardless of origin who comprehends and will confront their challenges.
“Whoever eventually emerges will only support somebody who understands the problems facing the North and will present them to him, whether the person is a northerner or a southerner, even if he’s from heaven.”
He announced that the bloc has chosen the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its political platform of choice.
“Eventually, we just decided that we can only pursue this if we are in one solid political party. And we all agree this solid political party can only be the ADC.”
Lawal also named prominent figures aligned with the coalition’s strategy, including Rotimi Amaechi, Peter Obi, and Atiku Abubakar, while emphasizing that the 2027 contest should rise “beyond partisan loyalty or ethnic sentiment.”
