“Tinubu Played a Pivotal Role In the Formation Of APC, Financed 2015 Presidential Campaign” — Ex-SGF Babachir Lawal

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal has claimed that President Bola Tinubu played a pivotal role in the formation of the All Progressives Congress and bankrolled key aspects of the 2015 presidential campaign that brought former President Muhammadu Buhari to power.

Lawal, who served as SGF under Buhari, made the claims during an interview on Symfoni TV released on Saturday.

He recounted how he acted as a bridge between Buhari and Tinubu to facilitate the merger of opposition parties into the APC, with the primary goal of defeating the Peoples Democratic Party.

According to Lawal, Buhari initially tasked him with the merger process because of his close relationship with Tinubu.

He said he initially declined due to the potential backlash from some northern political figures but eventually accepted the role 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, narrating a conversation with the late former president.

The former SGF described how he shuttled between the parties and consulted co-chairmen to ensure the merger succeeded.

He revealed that Tinubu deferred his own presidential ambition at the time to prioritise removing the PDP from power.

According to Lawal, Tinubu told him: “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.”

At the APC presidential convention, Lawal said Tinubu played a decisive role in securing the support Buhari needed to emerge as the party’s candidate.

After analysing delegate strengths late into the night, he said he approached Tinubu with data showing Buhari’s strong northern support required backing from the South-West.

“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 recalled telling Tinubu.

He continued, “He (Tinubu) 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.”

Lawal also claimed that Tinubu mobilised substantial funds for the campaign and separately financed former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s campaign activities because they operated somewhat independently of the main Buhari campaign.