‘We bent over backwards for Peter Obi, but he stayed shifty’ — Babachir Lawal

By Lawrence Agbo

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has alleged that former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, was given special treatment within the opposition coalition, but remained uncertain in his commitment to the party.

Lawal said Obi joined the ADC coalition long after its formation and never fully convinced party leaders that he was committed to staying.

According to him, party stakeholders made repeated efforts to accommodate and encourage Obi because they believed he needed reassurance to remain within the fold.

“Peter Obi joined the ADC coalition long after it began. He had always been very shifty. We never felt his heart was in it,” Lawal said.

He added that the coalition leadership extended goodwill to Obi that was not offered to any other member of the party.

“We bent over backwards to accommodate Peter Obi; we felt he needed encouragement to stay in the party, and we asked him to bring the organising secretary of the party. This goodwill was not extended to any other member of the party,” he stated.

Lawal’s remarks come amid Peter Obi’s defection to NDC and the growing tensions within the ADC coalition over leadership structure and the battle for the party’s presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 general elections.