A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has claimed that some state governors and prominent members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are quietly supporting an emerging opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Lawal made the disclosure during an interview on Beyond the Headlines, aired on TVC News on Tuesday. He said that although many of these figures have yet to speak publicly, they are actively aligned with the coalition’s mission to unseat the Tinubu-led administration.
“Yes, there are [APC members working with the coalition], and they will speak for themselves. Some might not be brave or bold enough to do it the way I have, but there are very many, some tell me, including some governors,” he stated.
Lawal, who officially left the APC on June 29, said he had long been working against the party from within, accusing it of silencing dissent and refusing to accommodate internal criticism. “The APC has never been united; it’s been a party that has been intimidated and bullied into silence. No internal cohesion; you cannot even advise. Even advice is taken as anti-party,” he said.
The former SGF argued that democracy permits individuals to remain in a party while supporting a better candidate elsewhere, adding that this strategy was perfected by the APC itself. “This is a script APC developed, which Wike has enhanced and grown beyond imagination. Wike is our leader in this type of politics,” he said.
He added that several former Tinubu loyalists, disappointed in the direction of the current administration, now want to work for change. “So, there’s nothing wrong if people who were hitherto in APC, allies of Tinubu, have been disappointed in the way he has chosen to run his government or allow others to run his government. There’s nothing wrong if we decide to come together to make a change.”
Lawal dismissed the notion that recent decampees into the APC were motivated by ideology, saying most were only seeking to secure their political futures. “It’s true the governors are decamping. Why are they decamping to the APC? Because they know the president has given himself an automatic ticket, there will be no primaries, and no other candidate will be allowed to raise their head.”
He added that such moves are strategic: “Most of the governors understand that this government is a government that wrote results to become what they are. So, they can write you out even in your own convention in an opposition party.” “So, all these governors are moving to the APC to secure their next elections. However, the governors are moving, but nobody is moving with them; the people are not.”
On the nature of the opposition front, Lawal clarified that the coalition is not being spearheaded by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, as widely assumed. “The coalition is not about Atiku. I’ve attended meetings tilted towards Obi, Atiku, and Amaechi. Atiku has never spoken in all our meetings, except the last meeting, where he was asked to speak.”
He said all stakeholders agreed to keep personal ambitions aside for now. “Before we started the coalition, we told everybody that has political ambition to lock it down in a cupboard. Because the understanding is that no one person can defeat an incumbent government.”
He further acknowledged the need for a united opposition: “Peter Obi understands that with his Obedient movement, he cannot win this election on a standalone basis. Ameachi understands, and Atiku too; we must have a coalition, get together, join forces, join ideas, and work to defeat this government.”
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