Babachir Lawal: Atiku Asked Me to Push Obi for 2027 VP Role

Babachir Lawal, Nigeria's former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, has disclosed that Atiku Abubakar personally instructed him to approach Peter Obi about accepting a vice-presidential slot on the African Democratic Congress ticket for the 2027 presidential election. Lawal detailed this account during media interviews while discussing the sequence of negotiations that led to the eventual separation between the Atiku and Obi political camps.

According to Lawal's account, Atiku believed that combining forces with Obi under the ADC banner would strengthen their position ahead of the 2027 race. Lawal said he undertook the assignment to contact Obi, though the NDC flagbearer ultimately declined the proposal.

Obi has since rejected the account, stating that no such offer was formally extended to him. Lawal's revelation comes as he has shifted his political alignment to the Nigerian Democratic Congress, where he currently serves as a chieftain.

In separate remarks, Lawal criticised Atiku, suggesting that the former Vice President lacks the temperament necessary for high office. He characterised Atiku as overly concerned with protocol and status, contrasting his comportment with that of President Bola Tinubu.

Lawal previously cited his loyalty to the late President Muhammadu Buhari as the reason he could not collaborate with Atiku during the Buhari administration. With Buhari's return to his Daura residence, Lawal has expressed openness to working with the ADC candidate, though his public criticism of Atiku's suitability for the presidency suggests any such cooperation remains unlikely.