Babachir alleges Buhari harbored reservations about Tinubu last year

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, revealed that the late former President Muhammadu Buhari had reservations about Bola Tinubu's candidacy ahead of the 2023 presidential election, citing concerns rooted in his religious convictions and personal ethics.

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Lawal stated that Buhari eventually agreed to remain neutral and allow delegates to freely choose the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, despite his initial reluctance due to Tinubu's significant contributions to the party and previous election campaigns.

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He predicted that Tinubu will fail in his bid for a second term in 2027, and instead 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.

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Lawal made these remarks in a wide-ranging interview with Symfoni TV released on Saturday, where he also disclosed details of Tinubu's role in the formation of the APC and his financial contributions to Muhammadu Buhari's successful 2015 presidential campaign.

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The former SGF shed light on the circumstances surrounding Buhari's refusal to publicly endorse Tinubu before the APC presidential primary in June 2022, attributing it to Buhari's reservations rooted in his religious convictions and personal ethics.

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According to Lawal, Buhari found it difficult to openly oppose Tinubu due to the latter's enormous contributions to the APC and previous election campaigns, but eventually agreed to remain neutral after extensive discussions.

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Lawal argued that he was the only person who confronted Buhari with the facts, and that Buhari would not deny Tinubu's contributions, saying "He will not say I don’t know, he would not say it’s a rumour because I was there."

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He recalled urging Buhari to allow delegates to freely determine the party's presidential candidate, rather than endorsing any aspirant, saying "Oga, let’s make a deal, stay neutral and allow me to run the process."

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Lawal stated that Buhari initially rejected the proposal, believing that Tinubu would inevitably secure the APC ticket if he stayed neutral, but eventually agreed to the deal after Lawal assured him that Nigerians would still have the final say at the polls.

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Buhari also questioned whether Tinubu would treat members of their political camp fairly if elected President, according to Lawal, who replied that he could "checkmate" Tinubu if necessary.

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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.

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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, predicting that a joint Obi-Kwankwaso ticket would enjoy about a 70 per cent chance of winning the presidency.

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He rated Tinubu's chances at 50 per cent, dismissing any prospect of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar emerging victorious, saying "Peter Obi will try to be fair to everybody, Peter Obi will try to do that which is right, I’ll give them close to like 70 per cent, again Bola 50, Atiku zero."

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Lawal maintained that Atiku had no realistic path to victory in the next presidential election, saying "Definitely, Atiku will lose, he will, and I pray he loses, I’m not the only one, and he will lose."

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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.

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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.

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His latest endorsement of Obi is 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.

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Tinubu, however, went on to win the election and was inaugurated as President on May 29, 2023, despite Lawal's predictions.

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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, revealing that Tinubu played a central role in the merger that birthed the APC.

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

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He recalled a conversation with the late President, where Buhari persuaded him to accept the assignment despite his initial reluctance, saying "I was in Dubai when he called me that I should come out because we want to do a merger with the ACN."

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

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He further recalled that Tinubu's backing proved decisive during the APC presidential primary that produced Buhari as the party's flag bearer, after he convinced Tinubu that Buhari's traditional northern voting base required South-West support to secure victory.

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Lawal added that Tinubu saw the logic and persuaded others with the argument, leading to their agreement to support Buhari at the last minute, around 4 a.m.

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The former SGF credited Tinubu with raising substantial campaign funds and personally financing the vice-presidential campaign of Yemi Osinbajo, saying "Through him, 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."

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Lawal alleged that Tinubu hired American political consultants associated with former United States President Barack Obama to improve the APC's campaign strategy, saying "I know of another place when he hired some consultants for us from the US, who were doing quite a lot of professional work."

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He claimed that Tinubu often financed major campaign expenditures from his personal resources rather than relying on the campaign's purse, saying "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."

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

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However, the former SGF said the Tinubu he knew before assuming office was different from the President currently leading the country, describing the administration as "a failure" after three years in office.

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He accused those in government of pursuing personal interests rather than the nation's well-being, saying "The people running the government don’t seem to be people who love the country, they are people who love themselves, everybody is bitter that life is tough."

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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."