The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has accused former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir Lawal of harbouring resentment against President Bola Tinubu after being overlooked as his running mate in the 2023 elections.
Appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today on August 8, Lawal had sharply criticised Tinubu, describing him as “arrogant” and “full of himself.” He also claimed Tinubu did not legitimately win the 2023 election.
“He (Tinubu) is arrogant. The guy has an arrogance that belies definitions… I didn’t offend him; he offended me, and he is full of himself, and he thinks that because he is now the so-called president… I believe he didn’t win the election,” Lawal said.
Responding during the programme on Tuesday, Wike dismissed Lawal’s remarks as bitterness rather than genuine criticism.
“When Mr President chose his vice-presidential candidate, I was one of those whom Babachir visited,” Wike revealed, “He came to my house in Port Harcourt with one of the former speakers of the House of Representatives. His anger was that he thought Mr President would have chosen him as a vice-presidential candidate. Having not done that, all hell must be let loose.”
The FCT minister accused Lawal of lacking sincerity and respect. “Even a child who is intelligent would know where your anger is. I used to think people like Babachir Lawal are men you should respect, until I observed otherwise. I never knew that he is not a man you can take for his words,” Wike said.
He also condemned Lawal’s language, saying, “It is really unfortunate. A man will come out on national television not to genuinely criticise what Mr President has done wrong, but to accuse him simply because he had a relationship with him before. That does not give him the latitude to come on national television to say a President of a country is full of himself. He doesn’t even call him ‘President’; he just says ‘Bola’.”
Wike added that if Lawal has personal issues with Tinubu, “there is nothing wrong with finding a way to sort it out,” stressing that governance is a collective responsibility and Nigerians should engage ministers and advisers rather than expect direct access to the president.
Wike speaks on ADC and PDP affairs
The minister also dismissed the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as irrelevant, saying Nigerians had already rejected it.
“There’s no coalition. Nigerians have already rejected them; the by-election is enough evidence. They did not make any impact. But that is just the beginning,” Wike said, arguing that a true coalition was when CPC, AC, and some PDP members merged to form a new party.
On the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Wike said he and his allies would meet to review plans for the party’s national convention, warning they would not tolerate “injustice.”
The PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) had earlier announced a 110-member committee to organise its national convention slated for November 15–16 in Ibadan, Oyo State.
