Coalition: “PDP An Incurable Virus, Not In Our Calculation” – Babachir Lawal

By Adesina Soyooye

A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has described the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as a virus that has no cure. “PDP is an incurable virus”, said Lawal, the SGF under the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari. He was, however, removed from office as SGF before the end of that Administration over some unexplained reasons.

A former political ally and confidant of President Bola Tinubu, the two fell badly apart over Tinubu’s choice of Senator Kashim Shettima as his running mate. Lawal, a Christian from Adamawa State, was against a Muslim-Muslim ticket, and is now one of the arrow heads of a coalition which aim is to sack Tinubu from office in 2027.

Lawal’s dismissal of the PDP as an incurable virus stemmed from the decision of PDP’s Governors not to be part of the coalition which also has its Presidential Candidate in the 2023 Election, Atiku Abubakar, as a key figure.

At its meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State, a couple of days ago, the Governors said the PDP is not interested in any coalition but is open to welcoming anybody or party interested in joining the Party.

In response, Lawal said the arrow heads of the Coalition  have never put the PDP into calculation, and had never mentioned the name of the Party in all their discussions  either now, or when they began to discuss the idea of a coalition because everybody dismisses PDP as an incurable virus.

His words:  “Every time we had discussions with members of the other groups working on the coalition, the name PDP never comes up. Everybody we talk to about PDP says it is an incurable virus.

“I have never attended a meeting where the PDP was under consideration for the merger. Maybe Atiku  planned to bring them in, but our discussion has mostly revolved around two options: forming a brand-new political party or joining an existing one. The PDP has never been one of those options.

“Quite a lot of people inside and outside the PDP have approached us, saying the party can be repaired. But each time, the situation seems to deteriorate further. I don’t think those in the PDP are serious people.”

In 2015, a coalition put together by Tinubu, then Leader of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, which included the defunct CPC led by Major General Buhari, and a couple of other fringe political parties, swept incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan out of office and installed Buhari as the President after he had tried and failed four times.