Lawal Daura Joins APM as VP Candidate Four Days After Leaving ADC

Former Director-General of the State Security Service, Lawal Daura, has been picked as the running mate for Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde in the 2027 presidential election. This announcement came just four days after Daura left the African Democratic Congress.

Governor Makinde, who is the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement, introduced Daura on Thursday during the party’s national convention at Rilwan Adamu Square in Bauchi.

Oyo State Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, shared a statement where Makinde explained that choosing Daura was a thoughtful move to tackle Nigeria’s security problems. He stated that Daura was chosen because of the serious security issues Nigeria is currently facing.

The governor promised that if he wins the election, he will collaborate with other politicians to help lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty. Daura’s selection shows a quick change in his political journey. Recently, he was trying to become the governor of Katsina, his home state.

Daura switched from the ADC to the APM on Sunday, citing what he called injustice and weak leadership in his former party. His exit came after disagreements over how the ADC chose candidates for the upcoming 2027 elections in Katsina.

In June, PREMIUM TIMES reported that Daura was unhappy with the ADC’s candidate-selection process. He insisted he was still committed to his ambition to become governor. At that time, he stressed that candidates should be chosen through a proper consensus or a primary election. He warned that he might take legal action or shift his political focus if the issue was not settled.

The ADC leadership acknowledged the complaints about its primary exercise but defended the process's overall fairness. Bolaji Abdullahi, the National Publicity Secretary, told PREMIUM TIMES that no official result for Katsina’s governorship had been declared because appeals from the process were still ongoing.

The situation was made more complex by competing factions within the Katsina ADC. A PREMIUM TIMES review in June highlighted rival groups claiming legitimacy and holding separate congresses and primaries.

On Tuesday, PREMIUM TIMES reported that Daura, in an interview with DCL Hausa, denied joining the APM for a specific ticket. When asked about his new role in the party, he told the interviewer to wait for more updates.

Just two days later, he was announced as Makinde’s vice-presidential candidate. This marks a big shift from the governorship ambition Daura had just pursued earlier this year.

Daura first made his intention to run for the Katsina governorship public in January. He listed insecurity as one of the main reasons for entering the race. In an interview with DCL Hausa, which PREMIUM TIMES monitored, he criticized Governor Radda’s handling of security issues and accused the state government of politicizing the security crisis.

He argued that Katsina needed a different approach to combat banditry and that failing to secure the state would undermine progress in other areas. Later in January, Daura officially declared his governorship ambition on the ADC platform during a political event in Katsina.

Makinde is now highlighting Daura’s background in intelligence as a key reason for his selection for the national ticket. Daura’s time as the SSS director-general ended suddenly on August 7, 2018, when armed SSS officers blocked entrances to the National Assembly in Abuja, stopping lawmakers and staff from entering.

Then-Acting President Yemi Osinbajo ordered Daura’s immediate dismissal after that incident. The presidency later announced that both Buhari and Osinbajo agreed on the decision to dismiss him.

A police report later accused Daura of acting without proper authorization during the National Assembly blockade. PREMIUM TIMES reported that the police called the operation a violation of the Constitution.

Daura’s selection now brings a former intelligence chief who was aiming for the Katsina governorship onto the APM presidential ticket as the party prepares for the 2027 general elections.