By Ayodele Oni
A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Babachir Lawal, has said that President Bola Tinubu came a distant third in the February 25, 2023, Presidential election.
In the election, Tinubu was the Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
But Lawal, a former strong Tinubu ally, insists that the man declared winner by INEC won no election. He said Tinubu came a distant third behind the Candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi, who. Lawal said came first, and the Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, who Lawal said came second.
Lawal and Tinubu parted ways over the choice of Vice President Kashim Shettima as the President’s running mate. The choice of Shettima, a former two-time Governor of Borno State and, at the time of his choice by Tinubu, a serving Senator, rankled and shocked not a few Nigerians, including Lawal.
Like those who argued against Shettima’s choice, Lawal said it was insensitive and evil for Tinubu, a Muslim, to choose Shettima, another Muslim, as his running mate in a country like Nigeria with a strong Christian population which could not be ignored. Long before Shettima’s choice, Lawal said he had discussed with Tinubu, and advised him against a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
However, his advice was in vain, prompting him to publicly declare his support for LP’s Peter Obi.
In the very strongly statement Lawal issued on Monday, his first since the election and Tinubu’s swearing-in as President on May 29, 2023, Lawal lamented that Nigerians face a bleak future, contrary to the rosy future Tinubu promised during his campaign for the office. He, also, insists that Tinubu is not qualified for the office of the President.
Lawal: “Leadership is all about integrity – sound pedigree, trustworthiness and the ability to unite and instil hope and confidence in the people one seeks to lead. In these qualities, most Nigerians are in total agreement that Bola has them in very, very short supply indeed.
“…six months down the line, the chicken has come home to roost as Nigerians have come to the realization that we have not got what we deserved politically.
“Confusion and despondency are now all over the nation as no one trusts the Government to do what it says it will do. No one trusts the Leader; and no one trusts appointees who are appointed as rewards for their roles in the election or who had in the past helped him in his life.”
Following is, in part, Babachir Lawal’s statement.
“I have resisted the temptation to engage in the contemporary political discourse since the February 2023 election faux pas.
“I did this for two reasons; the first being that as an active player in the drama, I needed time to analyze and digest the data that led to the outcome(s) so I could arrive at an informed decision; the second being that the rainy season had just set in and it was necessary that I focused my attention on my farms which are the mainstay of my livelihood.
“The current topical issues for political discourse and inquiry are whether or not Bola Tinubu won the presidential election and/or that he was, apriori, qualified to participate in the election given his murky bio-data as is now being publicly unveiled daily in an avalanche.
“My answer to the first inquiry is that regardless of whatever INEC or Appeal Court said or did, Bola did not win the election.
“Right from the start of the campaigns, Bola Tinubu knew he was not going to win the election in a free and fair contest, so he decided to go by all means.
“Available factual data as aggregated from several independent sources indicate that Obi got the majority votes while Atiku came second. Bola came a distant third in the number of votes scored.
“My answer to the second inquiry is that given the now unfolding deluge of uncomplimentary information about who or what he actually is, ordinarily, sound ethics and morality should have convinced him to voluntarily excuse himself from participation in the election.
“But this notwithstanding, I believe he still has time and opportunity to save himself this public humiliation and embarrassment to his person, both locally and internationally by resigning so that he can give more attention to his health.
“After all, no one knows about the truism of these severely embarrassing and humiliating exposures about his person than the man himself.
“Leadership is all about integrity — sound pedigree, trustworthiness and the ability to unite and instil hope and confidence in the people one seeks to lead. In these qualities, most Nigerians are in total agreement that Bola has them in very, very short supply indeed.
“But now, six months down the line, the chicken has come home to roost as Nigerians have come to the realization that we have not got what we deserved politically.
“Confusion and despondency is now all over the nation as no one trusts the government to do what it says it will do. No one trusts the leader; and no one trusts appointees who are appointed as rewards for their roles in the election or who had in the past helped him in his life.
“Bola the President and his group are now in government and are in full control of Nigeria’s vast resources and opportunities. They are enjoying their offices while Nigerians languish in insecurity, poverty and hopelessness.
“During the campaign, Bola mouthed some platitudes about competence; but we are so far yet to see it reflected in his political appointments. It seems more like he is rewarding people who supported him to get the Presidency at all cost.
“This band of appointees that Bola is assembling into his government don’t care about Nigeria at all.
“Fuel prices will continue to gallop upwards until only they can afford it; the Naira will continue to race downhill in a free-fall until only they can afford anything in the market; insecurity will continue its escalation until every community in the nation is consumed by it.
“Just to mention a few of these appointees: take insecurity for example; what do you expect an accountant to do as Minister of Defence?
“Was he not that one who was governor while Bello Turji et al freely terrorized Zamfara State? What about his CBN Governor with a CV; a one-time Chairman of a little-known bank employing 300 people in less than 12 branches clustered in the South-South and South-East regions?
“Is there any doubt left as to his lack of qualification and experience for the job than that his first policy statement was to remove foreign exchange restrictions for the importation of 43 agricultural and related products?
“Certainly, Nigerians are in for a short thrift. The people running the government do not care a hoot about the Nigerian people; their cronies are the petroleum industry players while some are the banking system players, so a free fall of the Naira and an unregulated upward movement of oil prices both work for more profits for them.
“By the way, has anyone noticed the intolerance for free speech and the dictatorship that is creeping upon us? Has anyone noticed the actions of the National Broadcasting Commission of late?”
Lawal was the SGF during the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari. But was removed from office under controversial circumstances
