Babachir Lawal, former secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), says Peter Obi was never fully committed to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) before leaving the party.
Speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Tuesday, Lawal said members of the coalition had long suspected that Obi was not comfortable within the party.
“He had always been somebody who was very shifty when it came to ADC. We never felt his heart was in it,” he said.
Lawal said the party made efforts to accommodate Obi and encourage him to stay.
According to him, the ADC allowed Obi to nominate the party’s organising secretary as a sign of goodwill.
“We offered him the opportunity to single-handedly bring the organising secretary of the party,” he said.
“We never extended that goodwill to any other member of the party.”
Lawal said the move was aimed at assuring Obi that party processes would be transparent.
“The heart of electoral processes in a political party is the organising secretary’s office,” he said.
The former SGF also accused Obi of avoiding competitive primaries.
“I think it’s fear. A politician who fears election has no business being one,” he said.
“Peter Obi does not want to participate in primaries; he prefers to be the consensus candidate.”
Lawal said Obi repeatedly insisted that he would be on the ballot in 2027 regardless of the political arrangement.
“He kept saying, ‘I will be on the ballot come 2027’,” he added.
Obi recently left the ADC and joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), citing internal crises and litigations within the party.
