The Presidency has fired back at former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir Lawal over his claim that the criteria for selecting presidential candidates in 2027 will differ from those applied in the 2023 elections.
Speaking in an interview on Channels Television, Lawal disclosed that northern politicians outside government have formed the Nigerian People’s Consultative Political Forum (North) to address regional disunity and promote political cohesion.
Responding in a statement on X, President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, described Lawal as the “latest political content creator turned soothsayer” who is “gasping for political oxygen.”
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Dare accused the former SGF of repeatedly granting provocative and unwarranted interviews in the past, but said none matched the “incoherence and desperation” displayed in his Channels Television appearance on Monday.
He claimed Lawal’s outing exposed “a deeply troubled soul, slowly unravelling, wildly swinging in all directions and wearing ideological inconsistency like a badge of honour.”
According to Dare, Lawal’s entire appearance was “nothing more than a poorly scripted attempt to bait Tinubu.”
He further recalled that Lawal once swore the “wrath of God” should befall anyone who stood in Tinubu’s path to the presidency, yet now “casually flings insults” at the President, disrespects his office, and makes derogatory remarks.
Dare said, “That says everything about Babachir’s character and upbringing — a fair-weather friend, an opportunist, clout chaser and clay footed political crusader. Babachir Lawal, please look in the mirror. Your account of events wobbles and is not the only one. Those who watch closely are only tolerating your flight of fancy for now. This indulgence will not last forever. Throw your tantrums if you must, but know when to stop short of denigrating the office and person of the President.
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“Your claim that Peter Obi “won” the 2023 elections is not only egregious but a barefaced lie. The people have spoken, the law has sanctioned it; the courts have ruled. On that matter, let all else remain silent. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu won the 2023 count fair and square and remains Nigeira’s duly elected President until 2027. For now, face forward. These televised outbursts do not earn you credibility — they drain it. You are operating at a deficit in conduct and public perception, and every rant pushes you deeper.
“Now to your bizarre psychoanalysis: “The problem with Bola Tinubu is that he thinks I offended him… .He’s full of himself… because he thinks he’s the so-called president.” Wake up. Smell the coffee. Bola Tinubu is Nigeria’s indisputable elected President. And in what way exactly did President Tinubu “offend” you? Because you wanted to be vice president and President Tinubu went for a better, more qualified and more refined candidate.
“Importantly, if putting Nigeria’s economy back on track is an offense in your book, then yes, that’s the other possible way Tinubu could have “offended” you. Your choice of words — “so-called president” — is not only uncouth but a disgraceful denigration of the very office you once served as Secretary to the Government of the Federation. Have you forgotten the dignity that comes with that office?
“Your descent into playing ethnic politics exposes your narrow mindedness and the threat your likes can pose to national unity. You also declared you “would have been sacked” in a Tinubu administration. Instructively, you were sacked — but under President Buhari’s government, not Tinubu’s. You claim you would have resigned if you were part of this administration. The truth? Whether under Tinubu, Buhari, or even your preferred Peter Obi (who still perches on the wings of mere “desperation” or is it aspiration), your overinflated sense of self-importance would have led to the same outcome: a quick exit.
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“Your arrogance is not new. Was it not you, in 2017, who on hearing of your sack as SGF scoffed, “Who is the Presidency?” — as though the presidency were a one-man office, and no one could remove you without your own permission? Such hubris then, such hubris now.bBabachir Lawal, these televised monologues do not make you relevant. They merely remind Nigerians why you are no longer in office and fast sinking into political and community oblivion. It is not too late to retrace your steps!”
