2023: Sacked SGF backs Tinubu for president

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has thrown his weight behind the presidential ambition of the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, comes 2023.

Lawal, who was sacked as SGF over his alleged involvement in the 2016 N500 million Grass-cutting scandal, said he knows Tinubu very well and not a matter of being a friend, adding that “My knowledge of him is that he will make an excellent president.”

He said that the former Lagos State Governor has demonstrated that he is a good leader.

“People can insult him, but every governor consistently builds on his structure to the extent that Lagos State has consistently produced the best governors in their dispensation starting from Tinubu, Fashola, Akinwunmi and Sanwo-Olu, who is just starting.”

Lawal noted that another quality that Tinubu has which Nigerians must look at is the power of succession.

”There was a time in the Federal Executive Council of 36, Tinubu had four”.

According to him, “If you look at all other governors, the only one that handed over to his deputy was Zamfara and because he had no choice.”

“I am advocating that the best man should take over from Buhari. And for now that best man is Bola Ahmed Tinubu who is from the Southwest by coincidence,” he added.

Speaking on Atiku, who was the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP presidential candidate in the last general elections, Lawal added, “Atiku Abubakar is not my friend.

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“He is too senior in age, position in the society to be my friend. He was the vice president. I only managed to become Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) for two years. So, he cannot be my friend.”

However, the ex-SGF said he gets along very well with the former Vice President, adding, “I like the guy. I used to tell people that as an indigene of Adamawa State, and if not because I am committed to other candidates that I feel he will do better, I probably would have worked for him.

“The guy is okay. He relates very well with people. I have seen people he has helped.

“I have seen people he has destroyed. I have seen people he has ignored. There is no particular reason to say because I am from Adamawa, he is my friend. In Adamawa, however, I think his political career has fatigued or it is over.”