Why Buhari Did Not Back Osinbajo As His Successor – Fmr. SGF Babachir Lawal Reveals

By Gideon Njoku

A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Babachir Lawal, revealed why the late President Muhammadu Buhari did not back his Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, as his successor.

Osinbajo, a Professor of Law, urbane, polished and a Pastor of the Redeemed  Christian Church of God, RCCG, was Nigeria’s Vice President, under the Government of President Buhari. Given his character and background,  not a few Nigerians thought he would be Buhari’s successor.

However, Babachir Lawal, who was the SGF under the Buhari Administration before he was unceremoniously removed from office by same Government, has disclosed that one of the reasons why not was Buhari’s discomfort with Osinbajo’s penchant for appointing only

RCCG Church Members who were usually all Yoruba to positions.

To back up his claim, he narrated how President Buhari ignored a memo forwarded to him for approval by Osinbajo. The memo, he said, which sought approval for the appointment of 28 persons into positions was ignored by Buhari because out of that number, 26 were of the RCCG and all Yoruba.

Lawal said it his intervention through appeals for Buhari to give the approval after the President pointed out to him why he ignored his Vice President’s memo.

Lawal, who hits without looking back, disclosed this in an interview with Symfoni TV recently.

He said that late Abba Kyari, who was President Buhari’s Chief of Staff at the time, did not pass on Osinbajo’s memo to Buhari. He, however, did not say why. The refusal to pass it on, Lawal further disclosed, had become a subject of discussion in the Presidential Villa until he intervened.

Lawal said after he obtained a photocopy of the memo, he personally took it to President Buhari and ” I said, ‘Oga, see the date my Oga sent a memo. You have not approved. What is the problem?'”

According to Lawal when  Buhari read through the memo he used a green biro to mark nearly all the names on the list.

Lawal: “Out of 28, I think he ticked 26 with the green biro,” and told told him: “BD, these are all Yorubas.”

But Lawal said he appealed to Buhari and noted that it was the Vice President’s first memo and that Osinbajo had only just come back from Lagos and promised to speak with Osinbajo about President Buhari’s concerns. Buhari, he disclosed, approved the memo the memo and, he, Lawal took it to the chief of Staff  and told him that the president had approved.

This incident, Lawal disclosed, was not an isolated case, as there were others and that  Buhari was very uncomfortable  about appointments linked to Osinbajo’s RCCG. where Osinbajo had served as a pastor. Lawal revealed: “The head of that church congregation, the person who succeeded him, and a third individual who subsequently took over, all received appointments after Osinbajo became Vice President.”

More worrisome, Lawal alleged is that some of those appointed did not have  the experience required for the roles they received. For example, the former SGF disclosed that there was  “one individual who had been a level 12 officer at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) before being appointed to a position at the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).”

Osinbajo’s action, Lawal said, triggered a protest yo President Buhari, byb traditional Christian leaders from Northern Nigeria. He disclised that they had gone straight to Buhari to complain, and  argued that they too were Christians whovoted for him but were being ignored in appointments.

Lawal: “I suspect that this excessive preference for his Church members would affect Buhari.

From his actions and body language, I could see that he was scared that if Osinbajo became president, what Bola is doing, Osinbajo will do.”