Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, says the yardsticks for selecting presidential candidates in 2027 will differ from those used during the 2023 elections.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Lawal, who backed Labour Party (LP) candidate Peter Obi in the last poll, said: “they say a day in politics is long. Things have changed. The parameters we used to evaluate our candidate in 2023 are going to be different this time. Things have moved on, so we’ll see when we get there. We’ll see how it goes.”
The ex-SGF maintained that Obi was the “true winner” of the 2023 presidential election.
Lawal says North must vote as a bloc
Lawal revealed that northern politicians outside government have formed the Nigerian People’s Consultative Political Forum (North) to address regional disunity and push for political cohesion.
“We call this the Nigerian People’s Consultative Political Forum, North, in which almost every significant northern politician who is not in government attends our meetings. The idea is that we get together and bring unity to this north,” he said.
According to him, the forum agreed that the north must vote as one in the 2027 elections to secure its interests.
“If we don’t vote as a bloc, we will not be able to achieve our goals,” he stressed.
Lawal added that the group would support only a candidate—northerner or southerner—who understands the region’s challenges and is committed to addressing them.
“Even if he’s from heaven, as long as he understands the problems facing the north, we will support him,” he said.
The former SGF said members believe the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is the party capable of driving this agenda. He also named Rotimi Amaechi, Atiku Abubakar, and Obi among key national political figures who remain relevant ahead of 2027.
Concluding, Lawal said the decision on Nigeria’s next president should go “beyond partisan loyalty or ethnic sentiment.”
