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Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has revealed how President Bola Tinubu allegedly shelved his own presidential ambition to ensure former President Muhammadu Buhari emerged victorious in the 2015 presidential election.
Speaking during an interview on Symfoni TV, Lawal recounted the political negotiations that led to the merger of opposition parties into the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying Buhari specifically asked him to facilitate talks with Tinubu because of their close relationship.
According to Lawal, he initially declined the assignment over concerns about political backlash but eventually accepted after Buhari insisted.
“I was in Dubai when you called me that I should come out because we want to do a merger with the ACN. And I told you, sir, this role you want me to play, I cannot play it… So Buhari said, ‘You are the only one that can help us do this merger because Bola is your friend.'”
Lawal said he subsequently engaged leaders of the opposition parties and helped broker the alliance that culminated in the formation of the APC.
He disclosed that Tinubu deliberately put his presidential ambition on hold because he believed removing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from power was more important.
“BD, you know my ambition to be president. But the way the country is going, the primary goal is to get rid of PDP. I will defer my ambition, put it aside until we achieve this goal,” Lawal quoted Tinubu as saying.
The former SGF also narrated how Tinubu became instrumental in securing Buhari’s emergence as the APC presidential candidate after reviewing voting projections from party delegates.
According to him, Buhari already commanded a strong electoral base in the North but required support from the South-West to secure victory.
“I said, ‘Sir, look at it. I have this data. This man (Buhari), whether he is on the ballot or not, he normally gets 12 million votes from the North. So it required three more million votes… Sir, why not support your winning ticket?'”
Lawal said Tinubu accepted the argument and persuaded his supporters to back Buhari.
“He saw the logic, persuaded them with the argument. And coming from Tinubu, of course… So at the last minute, around 4 a.m., they agreed that they were going to support Buhari.”
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Beyond political negotiations, Lawal claimed Tinubu financed significant aspects of the APC’s 2015 campaign, including campaign logistics and the vice-presidential campaign of Yemi Osinbajo.
“Through him (Tinubu), we were able to raise sufficient funds to do the campaign.”
He added that Tinubu personally funded Osinbajo’s campaign activities because they were largely separate from Buhari’s main campaign.
“Not only did he do that, Osinbajo’s portion of the campaign, he funded it, hired a chartered plane to fund the trip because Osinbajo’s campaign was a little bit broken away from the main campaign.”
Lawal further alleged that Tinubu hired American political consultants, whom he described as associates of former US President Barack Obama, to strengthen the APC’s election strategy.
“They came and they transformed our campaign, and I knew that the money he paid them was in excess of ₦2 billion equivalent in dollars.”
He also claimed Tinubu personally financed major campaign expenses instead of relying on the party’s campaign funds.
“If there’s a need for an expenditure, no matter how massive, he doesn’t come to the campaign purse; he spends from his own purse.”
While commending Tinubu’s role in the APC’s rise to power, Lawal criticised the President’s performance in office, describing the current administration as a disappointment.
“The people running the government don’t seem to be people who love the country. They are people who love themselves. Everybody is bitter that life is tough.”
He concluded by suggesting that Tinubu had changed since becoming President.
“Suddenly, I don’t know what has happened, he has lost his soul… Having come to this government, he has lost his soul.”
