APC hired Barack Obama consultants to remove Jonathan from power – Former SGF review  

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal has said former US president Barack Obama associates were hired to campaign for the removal of Goodluck Jonathan by All-Progressives Congress.

Lawal made the revelation while recounting the inner workings of the All-Progressives Congress campaign that ended the Peoples Democratic Party’s long rule and installed Muhammadu Buhari as president with Yemi Osinbajo as vice president.

He explained that the American consultants described as Obama people were brought in to professionalize the effort. They conducted surveys, overhauled strategy, and transformed the campaign into a highly effective machine that delivered victory.

Tinubu personally footed the bill for their services which amounted to more than two billion naira in dollar equivalent.

Beyond the consultants Lawal detailed how Tinubu emerged as the ultimate financier when the campaign faced cash shortages. He mobilized substantial funds for the main Buhari effort and separately bankrolled Osinbajo’s independent nationwide activities.

This included providing a private jet for seamless mobility and covering all related costs directly from his personal resources. Tinubu routinely bypassed the central campaign treasury for major expenditure no matter how large choosing instead to spend from his own purse.

Lawal who acted as a bridge between Buhari and Tinubu during the opposition merger described Tinubu’s deep commitment. He said Tinubu set aside personal presidential ambitions to rally Southwest delegates behind Buhari using detailed intelligence to secure crucial support at the primaries. This unity proved decisive in the battle against Jonathan.

As an eyewitness deeply embedded in the process Lawal affirmed that Tinubu’s financial muscle strategic input and personal sacrifices were instrumental in the historic 2015 breakthrough. His account from the recent Symfoni TV interview sheds fresh light on the resources and expertise deployed to reshape Nigeria’s political landscape and continues to generate widespread reactions across the country.