2027 Presidency: Atiku Asked Me to Make Obi His Running Mate — Babachir Lawal

Babachir Lawal

2027 Presidency: Atiku Asked Me to Make Obi His Running Mate — Babachir Lawal

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has disclosed that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar once sent him to persuade Peter Obi to accept the vice-presidential slot on the African Democratic Congress (ADC) platform ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Lawal made the disclosure during an interview with Diaspora Digital Media, while recounting the negotiations among opposition figures before the coalition eventually fractured.

According to the former SGF, Atiku wanted Obi to return to the political arrangement and become his running mate under the ADC.

Lawal said Atiku’s proposal was not limited to a conventional president-vice-president arrangement. He claimed that Atiku envisaged serving for four years and then working towards an amendment of the Constitution to introduce a single six-year presidential term, with provisions for rotational leadership.

He said Atiku specifically asked him to approach Obi because of his relationship with the former Anambra State governor.

Lawal recalled that he travelled to meet Obi despite heavy rainfall.

“They say you have influence against Peter Obi, I want Peter Obi to come back and be my vice presidential candidate,”

Lawal quoted Atiku as telling him, adding that he subsequently explained the proposal to Obi.

According to Lawal, however, Obi was not enthusiastic about the arrangement and declined to accept the proposal.

Obi previously disputed the account

The latest disclosure comes against the background of a previous statement by Obi in which he denied that he had rejected a formal vice-presidential offer from Atiku.

During an interview with Arise TV earlier in September, Obi said he did not know where the claim originated and maintained that he was not in a position where such an offer had formally been made to him and rejected.

Obi said discussions about a possible opposition alliance had moved beyond individual politicians and would have to involve the political parties themselves.

The differing accounts mean that Lawal’s latest recollection represents his account of the discussions, while Obi has publicly disputed the characterization that he received and rejected a formal VP offer.

Coalition split

The disclosure also provides another glimpse into the political negotiations that preceded the breakdown of the opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 election.

Atiku eventually emerged as the ADC’s presidential candidate, while Obi subsequently became the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

Lawal himself left the ADC in June after alleging that the party’s presidential primary had been manipulated in Atiku’s favour. The allegations were rejected by Atiku’s camp.

In September, Lawal joined the NDC and publicly backed the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket, further marking his movement away from the political camp led by Atiku.

The latest revelation is therefore likely to attract fresh attention to the behind-the-scenes negotiations that preceded the eventual emergence of separate presidential tickets for Atiku and Obi ahead of the 2027 election.