Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has said he would support President Bola Tinubu over former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the 2027 presidential election. Lawal said his preference was shaped by his previous experience working with Atiku, alleging that an Atiku presidency could result in……
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has said he would support President Bola Tinubu over former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the 2027 presidential election.
Lawal said his preference was shaped by his previous experience working with Atiku, alleging that an Atiku presidency could result in a “chaotic” crash.
He made the remarks during an interview on the Naija Unfiltered Podcast while explaining his opposition to Atiku’s presidential ambition.
“I’d rather go with Bola than Atiku because when Nigeria crashes with Bola, it might be an orderly crash, but with Atiku it would be a chaotic one,” Lawal said.
Asked why he held that view, the former SGF said, “Because he’s not a good man.”
Lawal said he had initially been willing to work with Atiku because of the challenges facing northern Nigeria and his belief that the region should retain the presidency.
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“I wanted to work for Atiku. I had the belief that the North, the way we are suffering, we should not surrender the presidency, that at least our own man will not, if nothing else, stop the decline we are in,” he said.
However, Lawal said his experience working with Atiku later changed his position, alleging that the former vice president would sometimes issue instructions and subsequently reverse them after consulting others.
“Everything you do with him, there’s chaos,” he said.
“He will call you and tell you, ‘Do this,’ and then you do it, then front you are back.”
The former SGF also alleged that disagreements over political appointments contributed to the situation, claiming that decisions reached with Atiku were sometimes changed following interventions by others.
Lawal further disclosed that Atiku had asked him to approach former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi over a proposed 2027 presidential ticket.
According to Lawal, Atiku proposed serving one term before pursuing a constitutional amendment to establish a single six-year presidential term.
He said Atiku also proposed that presidential rotation would subsequently begin with the South-East and North-Central zones.
Lawal said he approached Obi because of his relationship with the former Anambra governor, but Obi rejected the proposal.
“He says his survey shows him that they are unlikely to win if he pairs with Atiku,” Lawal quoted Obi as saying.
According to Lawal, Obi subsequently indicated that he would rather not contest than join a ticket he believed would lose.
