Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has said the late former President Muhammadu Buhari considered it “highly immoral and distasteful” for former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo to contest against President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election. Lawal made the disclosure in an interview with Symfoni TV published on YouTube on Thursday, explaining that Buhari’s position was influenced by his longstanding relationship with Tinubu.
According to Lawal, Buhari valued loyalty and believed Tinubu had played a significant role in recommending him for the presidency before seeking to succeed him. He said the former president would have found it difficult to support Osinbajo’s ambition, even if he believed the former vice-president would make a better president. Lawal said Buhari’s personal principles and relationship with Tinubu shaped his reservations about the contest.
Lawal also alleged that Buhari had concerns about some of Osinbajo’s appointments, particularly the alleged preference for people associated with the Redeemed Christian Church of God, where Osinbajo serves as a pastor. He recalled that a memo seeking approval for about 28 members of Osinbajo’s take-off staff allegedly remained pending for roughly three months before he personally took a photocopy of the document to Buhari. According to Lawal, Buhari ticked 26 names and remarked that they were all Yoruba.
The former SGF said he appealed to Buhari to approve the appointments, explaining that Osinbajo was new to the office, and promised to discuss the concerns with the vice-president. Lawal said Buhari eventually approved the memo, after which he informed then Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, that the appointments had been authorised. He described the incident as one of several occasions when Buhari reportedly took note of Osinbajo’s choices of appointees.
Lawal further alleged that some individuals associated with Osinbajo’s church received government appointments despite having limited experience for their positions. He cited an appointee to the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund who, according to him, had previously served as a level 12 officer at the National Youth Service Corps. He also said some Christian leaders in northern Nigeria complained to Buhari that they had supported him but were not being considered for appointments.
Although Lawal said Buhari never explicitly told him that the appointments would affect his support for Osinbajo, he believed the former president’s reactions suggested concern about the vice-president’s approach to appointments. He said Buhari appeared worried that Osinbajo might follow a similar pattern if he became president, while also viewing his decision to challenge Tinubu as a breach of political loyalty.
Osinbajo served as acting president during Buhari’s medical trips abroad and made several decisions while in office. One notable action was the dismissal of former Department of State Services Director-General Lawal Daura in August 2018, following a siege by DSS operatives on the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
