Babachir Lawal, who is a former Secretary to the Federal Government, claimed that Peter Obi, the candidate of the Labour Party, won the presidential election held on February 25th, rather than Bola Tinubu. Lawal, who is a close associate of Tinubu, made this known in Abuja on Tuesday, October 17th. He noted that independent sources’ data showed Obi received the majority of the votes, while Atiku came second in the election. Bola Tinubu came third in the number of votes scored, according to him.
Lawal, in his statement, said he refrained from joining political debates since the May 2023 election faux pas. He gave two reasons for this: he needed to analyze and digest the data that led to the outcome(s) to arrive at an informed decision as an active player in the drama, and he wanted to focus his attention on his farms, which are the mainstay of his livelihood.
Lawal opined that the topical issues for political discourse and inquiry are whether or not Bola Tinubu won the presidential election and whether he was apriori qualified to participate in the election given his murky biodata, as it is now being publicly unveiled every day in an avalanche. He answered the first inquiry by saying that Bola did not win the election, regardless of whatever INEC or Appeal Court said or did.
He accused Bola of knowing from the campaign’s onset that he would not win the election in a free and fair contest, so he decided to go by all means. According to him, available factual data from several independent sources indicate that Obi got the majority votes, while Atiku came second. Bola came third in the number of votes scored.
Lawal urged the president to resign to prevent public humiliation and embarrassment. He also said that sound ethics and morality should have convinced Bola to voluntarily excuse himself from participation in the election given the now unfolding deluge of uncomplimentary information about who or what he is.
In his statement, Lawal added that leadership is all about integrity, sound pedigree, trustworthiness, and the ability to unite and instill hope and confidence in the people one seeks to lead. In these qualities, most Nigerians agree that Bola has them in very short supply.
Lawal also accused Tinubu of not appointing any competent person into office. He said that Bola and his group are now in government and are in full control of Nigeria’s vast resources and opportunities. He noted that they are enjoying their offices while Nigerians languish in insecurity, poverty, and hopelessness.
He added that during the campaign, Bola mouthed some platitudes about competence, but Nigerians have 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 costs. He accused these appointees that Bola is assembling into his government of not caring about Nigeria at all. He noted that 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, and insecurity will continue its escalation until every community in the nation is consumed by it.
Recall that in April 2023, after INEC declared Tinubu winner of the election, Babachir Lawal criticized the electoral commission over the supplementary elections conducted in Adamawa State and other parts of Nigeria. Lawal, in an interview on Arise TV, alleged that the electoral commission had lost its sense of normal decorum and had chosen to “throw the country into anarchy or even possibly into civil war.”