Babachir Lawal, a former secretary to the government of federation, has slammed Bola Tinubu, former governor of Lagos and All Progressives Congress pr
Babachir Lawal, a former secretary to the government of federation, has slammed Bola Tinubu, former governor of Lagos and All Progressives Congress presidential hopeful over claims that President Muhammadu Buhari would not have become president in 2015 without him.
Lawal dismissed the claim as ‘bullshit,’ while noting that it’s unlike the former governor and presidential hopeful.
According to the former SGF, Tinubu is bragging too much about about his role in the APC campaign in the lead up to 2015, even when he’s not the only person that was instrumental to the emergence of Buhari as president.
Tinubu had, while addressing Ogun State APC delegates at the Presidential Lodge, Abeokuta, Thursday stated that he brought President Muhammadu Buhari out of political retirement and assisted him to emerge Nigeria’s President in 2015.
“If not me that led the war front, Buhari would not have emerged. He contested first, second and third times, but lost. He even said on television that he would not contest again,” he had said.
“But I went to his home in Katsina, I told him you would contest and win, but ‘you would not joke with Yoruba matters. Since he has emerged, I have not been appointed minister. I didn’t get a contract. This time, it’s the Yoruba’s turn and in Yorubaland, it’s my tenure.”
However, reacting to his statement, Lawan argued that Tinubu was not the only person that made the difference, saying there were many others who supported Buhari and never bragged about it.
According to him, Tinubu’s attitude is part of the reason it continues to be difficult for the north to support the Southwest in national politics.
“Sometimes it is very difficult to support a Yoruba person in national politics if you are not one,” he said.
They have a way of making you regret your support because they eventually make you seem like a traitor to your own people. Now all these comments about Bola’s Yoruba presidency and his support of Buhari without which Buhari would not have been president is bullshit.
“He wasn’t the only one whose support made a difference. There were many others from all around the country and they are not bragging about it.
“You may wish to know that all of us Buhari supporters are shocked and pissed off by Bola’s speech on this occasion. It is unlike him. And this speech is massively trending in the North and being given a negative connotation as you can well imagine. I first read it this morning on an Adamawa group platform and the anger is palpable and all round.
“You would think Yorubas will resist the temptation of joining in the northerners-bashing game at this very critical time – the primary election is only three days away. It is unfortunate that Bola himself chose to join in this bashing game – choosing to speak in the Yoruba language and in Yoruba land in a manner that seems to denigrate Buhari. I could vividly imagine the discomfort of all the northerners sitting beside him on that podium.
“This appears to be the Abiola saga being replayed. Abiola won the election with majority Northern votes but they took the brunt of the post-election protests that followed. Just survey all the people that are doing more meaningful practical things to enthrone Bola as president and you will find that almost all are northerners while his kinsmen engage themselves in social media activism and Northern bashing.
“When Yorubas vilify the North like this, our sense of fear and insecurity under a Yoruba presidency gets heightened and in the end, pushes us to rethink our support for not only Bola but any Yoruba as president for that matter. Please, do not join our opponents to destroy our chances of clinching Monday’s primary elections.”
