Governorship candidates of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Northeast have rejected the appointment of former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, as the party’s regional leader.
The candidates announced their position in a joint statement yesterday.
They warned the party’s national leadership that they would not recognise Lawal in that role.
The governorship candidates said the NDC appointed Lawal without first consulting them, despite their involvement in establishing the party’s structures and mobilising support ahead of the 2027 general election.
The disagreement has opened a new front within the party in the Northeast, with the candidates insisting that decisions affecting the region should not be taken without input from those contesting elections there.
The NDC governorship candidates said the party’s national leadership needed to recognise the political realities in the six states before taking decisions on regional leadership.
‘Politics is local,’ the candidates stated, arguing that those actively involved in the party’s grassroots mobilisation should have been consulted before Lawal’s appointment.
They also questioned the appointment’s electoral benefit, expressing concern that it could affect the party’s chances of building a strong political base across the Northeast.
According to them, consultations with the governorship candidates would have provided the national leadership with a clearer understanding of the political situation in Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe states.
They requested the party’s national leadership, including its National Leader, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, to reconsider the appointment and open discussions with them.
The NDC candidates said their position was aimed at preserving unity within the party and preventing disagreements over leadership from undermining preparations for the 2027 elections.
The statement was jointly signed by Aishatu Dahiru Ahamed of Adamawa, Ibrahim Muhammad Kashim of Bauchi, Rear Admiral S. Kashim Ibrahim (retd.) of Borno, Babayo Ardo of Gombe, Prof. Mohammed Sani of Taraba and Ibrahim M. Shitu of Yobe.
Despite acknowledging the national leadership’s efforts to provide a platform for political participation ahead of 2027, the six governorship candidates said their position on Lawal’s appointment had not changed.
‘For the avoidance of doubt, our position is collective, firm and final: we do not recognise Babachir Lawal as the Leader of the NDC in the North-East, and we will not recognise him as such,’ they said.