Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has given a strong warning to northern politicians, declaring that no elected official from the region, governors included, will be re-elected in 2027 unless they defect to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Speaking on Sunday Politics on Trust TV, Lawal didn’t mince words in blaming the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for what he described as the marginalisation and destruction of the North.
He predicted a mass exodus from the APC to the opposition ADC ahead of the next general election.
“Which northern elected official will go to campaign on the platform of the APC this coming election? Nobody. Unless ab initio, you have no plan to win election. I can’t see anywhere,” Lawal said during the interview.
When asked whether that included governors seeking a second term, he responded bluntly, “Unless they join the ADC, they will not win… simply because they belong to a destructive party. A party that woefully failed to perform.”
Lawal said the ADC is already holding talks with some sitting governors in the North, noting that their survival at the polls depends on switching parties.
He believes that the APC’s failures, particularly under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, have created widespread disillusionment.
He aligned himself with the views of former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, who recently criticised the Tinubu-led federal government for neglecting northern Nigeria.
According to Lawal, the region is being starved of visible infrastructure projects.
“Every Nigerian that has anything to do with the north will know that no infrastructure work is going on at any level,” he said.
“No projects are going on — at least they are not visible to the eye. Maybe in their imagination, maybe in the spirit — but we don’t see it.
“We don’t see any construction work. We don’t see any infrastructure going on. No federal government project whatsoever.”
Lawal, an engineer by profession, said he and Kwankwaso share a technical background that makes them particularly sensitive to the absence of physical development in the region.
