Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has claimed that powerful Northern political interests masterminded efforts that led to his removal from office during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
In a post shared on his Facebook page, Lawal alleged that his close relationship with Buhari unsettled certain influential figures who feared the late president was positioning him for a more prominent political role.
According to him, a group of Northern senators was assigned the task of orchestrating his removal and subsequently enlisted what he described as “legislative hatchet men” to execute the plan.
Lawal further alleged that the campaign against him involved collaborators within both the executive arm of government and sections of the media.
He said attempts were made to convince Buhari to remove him from office, but the former president allegedly resisted pressure from a high-powered delegation sent to make the case against him.
“They did all manners of things to make sure that I was removed. They felt that Buhari had no business appointing me because I was from the small tribe of Kilba and a Christian,” Lawal stated.
The former SGF added that he would not publicly identify those involved, noting that the individual he described as the “main contractor” later apologized to him in the presence of mutual associates.
“As a good Christian that I strive to be, I forgave him right there at the meeting and it has remained so ever since,” he said.
Lawal also defended his right to scrutinize those seeking Nigeria’s highest office, insisting that presidential aspirants must be subjected to public assessment regarding their character and competence.
“It is my right to interrogate the character and competence of someone who seeks to be my president. He is free to step down his ambition if he does not want to be so queried,” he said.
Reiterating his opposition to the presidential ambition of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Lawal urged the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to consider presenting a different candidate for the next presidential election.
“Indeed, I would urge ADC to replace this man with a more qualified candidate if they want to have any hope of winning the presidential election before INEC timetable runs out on them,” he stated.
Atiku Camp Fires Back
Reacting to Lawal’s comments, Atiku Abubakar’s media aide, Paul Ibe, dismissed the allegations and criticized the former SGF’s remarks.
Ibe accused Lawal of attempting to rewrite history regarding his tenure in public office and alleged involvement in efforts to influence the ADC presidential primary process.
He also defended Atiku’s record on security issues, arguing that the former vice president has consistently condemned terrorism, banditry and kidnappings across the country.
According to Ibe, Atiku has repeatedly called for reforms to Nigeria’s security architecture, including legislative measures that would empower state governments to equip local security outfits in support of federal security agencies.
He further noted that Atiku has advocated stronger community-based intelligence gathering and has frequently criticized the federal government over what he described as inadequate responses to worsening insecurity.
The exchange marks the latest public disagreement between Lawal and supporters of Atiku as political alignments and debates ahead of the 2027 general election continue to intensify.