Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal has issued a dire warning to northern politicians, stating that none will win re-election in 2027 unless they defect to the opposition African Democratic Congress.
During an explosive interview on Trust TV’s Sunday Politics program, Lawal declared the ruling All Progressives Congress has become toxic in the north due to its failure to deliver development projects and its perceived marginalization of the region.
“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 stated emphatically. When asked specifically about governors seeking re-election, he was equally blunt: “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 revealed that ADC leaders have already begun discussions with several northern governors about potential defections, signaling what could become a major political realignment. His comments build on similar criticisms made by former Kano governor Rabiu Kwankwaso regarding the Tinubu administration’s neglect of northern development.
The former SGF, who is an engineer by training, provided a scathing assessment of infrastructure development in the north under the current government. “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 emphasized that his technical background, like Kwankwaso’s and Works Minister David Umahi’s, gives them particular insight into physical development matters. “Kwankwaso, remember, is an engineer too—so he, like me, like David Umahi, who’s an engineer too, the way we see things—physical things—the way we see them differently,” he explained.
