ABUJA: Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, on Monday launched a scathing criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, saying he would never have accepted an appointment under the current government.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Lawal said the Tinubu-led administration has failed to demonstrate inclusiveness, accusing it of nepotism and tribal bias.
He also lamented the current state of the economy, saying he would have either resigned, been fired, or even killed if he had been part of the current government.
I thank God that I didn’t make the mistake of being in this government ab initio,” Lawal said.
If I were in this government, I probably would have been sacked a long time ago, killed or resigned.
The former APC stalwart expressed strong dissatisfaction with Tinubu’s governance style, particularly his appointments, which he claimed are heavily tilted in favor of a particular ethnic group.
I cannot go to a meeting in which 99 percent of the participants are Yoruba. The tendency is that they finish the meeting in their language, and I am just sitting there, he said.
The problem with the Yoruba is that when you support them and they win, they behave as if they have subdued you. They will not count your support.
Lawal, now a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), also blasted the government’s handling of the economy, noting that the removal of fuel subsidy in May 2023 has not yielded any visible benefits to Nigerians. He alleged that, contrary to official claims, the government is still paying subsidies.
In one of the most controversial moments of the interview, Lawal alleged that the 2023 presidential election was rigged by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
When asked who he believed was the rightful winner of the poll, he responded directly:
Peter Obi won that election.
Pressed further on how he arrived at that conclusion, Lawal replied: We have the results. We know what happened.
The Nigerian court system did what they did, but that doesn’t change the truth. The truth is: Peter Obi won.
Lawal did not provide the exact sources of the alleged results but insisted that the outcome announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) did not reflect the true will of the Nigerian people
