Babachir Lawal: Tinubu is my friend, he didn’t win 2023 election

Babachir Lawal, former secretary to the government of the federation, says he remains friends with President Bola Tinubu despite publicly criticising him.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Lawal, who resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in July, said their friendship has endured despite differences in interests and values.

“Bola Tinubu is still my friend. We have not had any conference to dissolve it, we have to meet to dissolve the friendship,” he said.

“Yes, I should speak against him fiercely because you should not be afraid to tell your friend the truth on TV if he does not listen individually.

The former SGF, who served under the late Muhammadu Buhari, said he has not spoken with Tinubu in two years, adding that their misunderstanding began over an undisclosed issue.

“We spoke last in July 2022. One time when our problem started, he called one of our friends and asked him to bring a dictionary and read what a ‘friend’ means to me,” he said.

“The problem with Bola Tinubu is that he thinks I offended him but I didn’t. He is the one who offended me and he is so full of himself because he is the so-called president.”

Lawal also alleged that Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 presidential election was the result of electoral malpractice.

“I believe he didn’t win the election. I keep on saying so,” he said.

He added that while the “friendship” may sound sarcastic, he also counts Peter Obi, former Anambra governor, and Rotimi Amaechi, former minister of transportation, as friends.

Lawal’s resignation from the APC, he said, was influenced by Obi and Amaechi, who are among politicians working to unseat Tinubu in 2027 under a coalition using the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its platform.