Buhari had misgivings about Tinubu in 2023, Babachir claims

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has claimed that the late former President Muhammadu Buhari had reservations about Bola Tinubu’s candidacy ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

Lawal said Buhari’s concerns were rooted in his religious convictions and personal ethics, but that he eventually agreed to remain neutral and allow delegates to freely choose the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate.

He also predicted that Tinubu will fail in his bid for a second term in 2027, as he threw his weight behind the joint ticket of Peter Obi and Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, which he believes would stand a far better chance of defeating the ruling All Progressives Congress than if both politicians contest separately.

Lawal, a founding member of the APC who has since become one of Tinubu’s most vocal critics, made the remarks in a wide-ranging interview with Symfoni TV released on Saturday.

Besides projecting the outcome of the next presidential election, the former SGF also disclosed details of Tinubu’s role in the formation of the APC, his financial contributions to Muhammadu Buhari’s successful 2015 presidential campaign, and the reasons the late former President declined to openly endorse Tinubu before the APC presidential primary in 2022.

The former SGF, who dumped the APC ahead of the 2023 presidential election over the party’s Muslim-Muslim ticket and later supported Obi, shed light on the circumstances surrounding Buhari’s refusal to publicly endorse Tinubu before the APC presidential primary in June 2022.

According to him, Buhari had reservations rooted in his religious convictions and personal ethics but eventually agreed to remain neutral after extensive discussions.

Lawal argued that Buhari found it difficult to openly oppose Tinubu because of the latter’s enormous contributions to the APC and previous election campaigns.

“Bola Tinubu brought people, and we coerced him to change the trajectory of the campaign through those of his people. Buhari is a human, and he’s a decent guy. So I am the only person that confronted him with these facts.

“He will not say I don’t know. He would not say it’s a rumour because I was there. So why would he deny him (Tinubu)? Why would he… in the end he said okay,” he said.

The former SGF said he urged Buhari to allow delegates to freely determine the party’s presidential candidate rather than endorse any aspirant.

He said, “As we were going to the convention, I said, ‘Oga’, let’s make a deal. I said, look, this man (Tinubu), we now know that based on your religion and your ethics and your upbringing, you don’t want to hand over to this man, but he has helped us get here.

“So there’s no way. Let’s make a deal. Stay neutral and allow me to run the process. If we go to the convention and the party faithful defeat him, so be it. Your hand is not in it.”

According to Babachir, Buhari initially rejected the proposal because he believed Tinubu would inevitably secure the APC ticket if he stayed neutral.

“But Buhari said that’s not an excuse. I know you, you will give Bola Tinubu this ticket. I say, are you God now, sir?

“Buhari said, no, you started with me since 2002. So I know how you work. I know your methodologies. That man, if I leave him to you, he’ll get the ticket.”

Lawal said he replied that even if Tinubu emerged as the APC candidate, Nigerians would still have the final say at the polls.

“I say, okay, okay, granted. If he gets the ticket, it means you are now a prophet. However, you’re ascribing to me qualities I don’t have.

“But let’s assume it happens. Supposing the general election rejects him, is that you?”

The ex-SGF added that Buhari also questioned whether Tinubu would treat members of their political camp fairly if elected President.

“He mentioned some things. This man, is he going to be fair to our people? Is he going to be this?

“I said, yes, as long as I’m there, you know, I can checkmate him.” He said, ‘Okay, deal.’”

Buhari eventually refrained from publicly endorsing any aspirant before the June 2022 APC presidential primary, repeatedly urging delegates to elect a candidate capable of advancing the party’s ideals.

Tinubu went on to defeat other leading contenders, including former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, former Senate President Ahmad Lawan and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, before winning the 2023 presidential election.

Speaking on the opposition ahead of the 2027 election, Babachir said the opposition would only be competitive in 2027 if major political figures closed ranks behind a single candidate.

According to him, a joint Obi-Kwankwaso ticket would enjoy about a 70 per cent chance of winning the presidency, while he rated Tinubu’s chances at 50 per cent, dismissing any prospect of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar emerging victorious.

“Peter Obi will try to be fair to everybody. Peter Obi will try to do that which is right. Peter Obi, Kwankwaso, take note, I’m pairing them. I’m pairing them. Individually will be a disaster, but I’m pairing them.

“So I’ll give them, on my own scale, close to like 70 per cent. Again, Bola, 50. Atiku, zero,” Lawal said.

He maintained that Atiku had no realistic path to victory in the next presidential election.

“Definitely, Atiku will lose. He will, and I pray he loses. I’m not the only one, and he will lose,” he said.

Babachir’s latest intervention comes amid ongoing political realignments ahead of the 2027 general election, with several opposition figures canvassing the idea of a broad coalition to challenge the APC.

The former SGF recently parted ways with the African Democratic Congress after accusing the party’s presidential primary that produced Atiku as its candidate of being riddled with irregularities, allegations the party has yet to officially acknowledge.

His latest endorsement of Obi is also consistent with the position he took before the 2023 election when he severed ties with Tinubu’s presidential campaign over the APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket and openly backed the former Anambra State governor.

Tinubu, however, went on to win the election and was inaugurated as President on May 29, 2023.

Beyond his 2027 projections, the former SGF offered a rare insider’s account of the events leading to the formation of the APC and Buhari’s emergence as president in 2015.

According to him, Tinubu played a central role in the merger that birthed the APC and personally financed significant aspects of Buhari’s presidential campaign.

Lawal said Buhari entrusted him with facilitating discussions between the Congress for Progressive Change and Tinubu’s Action Congress of Nigeria because of his longstanding relationship with the former Lagos State governor.

Recalling a conversation with the late President, he said Buhari persuaded him to accept the assignment despite his initial reluctance.

He said, “I was in Dubai when he called me that I should come out because we want to do a merger with the ACN. And I told him, sir, this role you want me to play, I cannot play it. So Buhari said, you are the only one that can help us do this merger because Bola is your friend.”

Lawal explained that Tinubu willingly shelved his presidential ambition at the time to unite the opposition against the Peoples Democratic Party.

The former SGF told him, “BD, you know my ambition to be president. But the way the country is going, the primary goal is to get rid of PDP. I will defer my ambition, put it aside until we achieve this goal.”

Lawal further recalled that Tinubu’s backing proved decisive during the APC presidential primary that produced Buhari as the party’s flag bearer.

After studying delegate strength across the country, he said he convinced Tinubu that Buhari’s traditional northern voting base required South-West support to secure victory.

“I said, sir, look at it. I have this data… This man (Buhari), whether he is on the ballot or not, he normally gets 12 million votes from the North. So it required three more million votes. Sir, why not support your winning ticket?” Lawal recalled.

Lawal added, “He (Tinubu) saw the logic, persuaded them with the argument. And coming from Tinubu, of course. So at the last minute, around 4 a.m., they agreed that they were going to support Buhari.”

The former SGF also credited Tinubu with raising substantial campaign funds and personally financing the vice-presidential campaign of Yemi Osinbajo.

“Through him (Tinubu), we were able to raise sufficient funds to do the campaign. Not only did he do that, Osinbajo’s portion of the campaign, but he funded it, hired a chartered plane to fund the trip because Osinbajo’s campaign was a little bit broken away from the main campaign.

“Osinbajo on his own was a pastor. His ethnic nationalities and Christians had some doubts about Buhari. He was on that side.

“He wasn’t in our own area, and he was just operating semi-independently of the main campaign. Tinubu was funding it,” he said.

Lawal further alleged that Tinubu hired American political consultants associated with former United States President Barack Obama to improve the APC’s campaign strategy.

“Then I know of another place when he hired some consultants for us from the US, who were doing quite a lot of professional work.

“I don’t know their names. I just know that they were Obama people, and they came, and they transformed our campaign, and I knew that the money he paid them was in excess of two billion naira equivalent in dollars,” he said.

The Adamawa politician also claimed Tinubu often financed major campaign expenditures from his personal resources rather than relying on the campaign’s purse.

“And there’s another thing about Bola Tinubu: if there’s a need for an expenditure, no matter how massive, he doesn’t come to the campaign purse; he spends from his own purse.

“All these things I told you. Some people don’t know this, but I was there, and I knew this. And he did all these things,” he added.

Lawal described Tinubu as a generous benefactor before he became President.

“Bola has given some people a stupendous amount of money to help them out of crisis that I know first-hand, without expecting anything.

“He has a gift and can see in you a future return for himself in advance,” he said.

However, the former SGF said the Tinubu he knew before assuming office was different from the President currently leading the country.

He described the administration as “a failure” after three years in office, accusing those in government of pursuing personal interests rather than the nation’s well-being.

“The people running the government don’t seem to be people who love the country. They are people who love themselves,” he said, adding that, “Everybody is bitter that life is tough.”

On Tinubu personally, he added: “Suddenly, I don’t know what has happened; he has lost his soul… Having come to this government, he has lost his soul.”