About 37 candidates of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, NDC, running for various elective offices in Adamawa State have rejected the appointment of former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Babachir David Lawal, to lead the party’s political activities in the North-East.
The candidates, including the party’s governorship candidate in the state, Senator Aishatu Ahmed Dahiru, popularly known as Binani, described Lawal as a “toxic politician.”
She alleged that Lawal’s political antecedents and recent conduct could negatively affect the fortunes of the party in the region.
They consist of one Governorship, three Senatorial, eight House of Representatives and 25 State Assembly candidates.
This followed a bitter exchange between Lawal and Binani after six NDC governorship candidates in the North-East earlier rejected his appointment as the party’s regional leader.
The 37 candidates called on the national leadership of the party to reconsider Lawal’s appointment, insisting that they would not recognise him as the leader of the party in the North-East.
The candidates said they recognised former Kano State governor and presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, as their leader in the North.
In a strongly worded response to Lawal’s recent attack on Binani and other NDC governorship candidates, the Binani campaign organisation accused the former SGF of engaging in what it described as “destruction rather than building” since joining the party.
The statement, signed by the campaign’s Director of Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Mathias Yohanna, said Binani and other party leaders would not be intimidated by what it described as Lawal’s “indecent language” and personal attacks.
The campaign took particular exception to Lawal’s reported description of some NDC governorship candidates in the North-East as “so-called gubernatorial” candidates and “nincompoops.”
It said: “While we respect elders who stand for the truth, our respect should not be taken for granted.”
The campaign organisation also questioned Lawal’s claimed electoral influence, asking whether his political strength alone could deliver the entire North-East to the party.
It further accused the former SGF of pursuing divisive politics and urged him to focus on building bridges of unity within the party.
The campaign said Binani participated in a democratically convened meeting of NDC governorship candidates where decisions affecting the zone were taken, insisting that the decision to recognise Kwankwaso as the party’s leader in the North remained unchanged.
It also called on the national leadership of the NDC to intervene in the dispute and prevail on Lawal to respect the decision of the majority.
“We wish to call on the national leadership of our great party to draw the attention of Mr Babachir Lawal to listen to the voice of reason under the noble principle of majoritarian decision to ensure peace and tranquillity reigns in our great party,” Binani’s team said.
The latest dispute comes barely days after Lawal was announced as the politician to oversee the NDC’s political activities and campaign operations in the North-East ahead of the 2027 elections.
The party’s national leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, had described him as an experienced political mobiliser.
However, the appointment has triggered resistance from several of the party’s governorship candidates in the region, raising fresh questions over the party’s internal cohesion ahead of the 2027 elections.
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