Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has said he persuaded Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso to join the African Democratic Congress despite their reservations about Atiku Abubakar’s involvement in the party.
Lawal disclosed this on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Monday, while recounting the negotiations that preceded Obi and Kwankwaso’s entry into the ADC ahead of the opposition party’s primaries.
“I attended every meeting of the ADC, and at one time, Peter Obi was playing in and out. I was the one who finally dragged Peter into the ADC and committed him to joining the ADC,” Lawal said.
We also convinced Kwankwaso to join the ADC, but he was always afraid that with Atiku Abubakar there, nothing good would ever come out of the ADC,” he said.
He explained that Obi preferred a consensus arrangement because he believed a contested primary could favour candidates with greater financial resources and political influence.
According to Lawal, the failure to reach an agreement on a consensus candidate eventually contributed to the departure of both Obi and Kwankwaso from the ADC.
