A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has accused President Bola Tinubu of plotting to scuttle a proposed coalition being put together by leading opposition leaders.
Speaking in an interview with Punch Newspaper, Mr Lawal said the current administration is unsettled by the growing acceptance of the alliance spearheaded by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai
Mr Lawal said: “This political party we are forming — most of those comments about Tinubu being unbeatable — are like people peering through tinted glass and assuming they know what’s happening inside.
“Tinubu knows we can defeat him. Even those around him who are sincere know he’s an endangered species in terms of the 2027 presidency. We still hear what they say behind closed doors. There’s panic.”
He pointed to recent reports of alleged censorship of anti-government songs, saying: “Imagine if a small boy like Idris Abdulkareem sings a song and they rush to ban it from airwaves — it’s a trait of insecure people frightened even by small things. They’ve gone bananas out of desperation. A scared man has no rules of engagement.”
Mr Lawal also argued that Messrs Abubakar, El-Rufai, and other coalition members are well-versed in Mr Tinubu’s political playbook, having previously worked closely with him.
“We’ve stayed together before. If people still say I was the one sent to buy Tinubu’s presidential election form, then it means we know each other well.
“Atiku and Rauf Aregbesola were once political allies of Tinubu too. We know the methods used in Nigeria to win elections — and the tactics used to make the opposition lose,” Mr Lawal was further quoted as saying.
However, the APC National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, dismissed the threat posed by the coalition, describing it as a gathering of “internally displaced politicians”.
Speaking to the same newspaper, Mr Basiru said: “There is no coalition. It’s a figment of the imagination of some individuals who think they are important. It’s just an association of internally displaced politicians.”
