Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, says President Bola Tinubu will be hard to beat in the 2027 election if “the parameter for winning is rigging.”
Lawal made the remark on Monday while speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme.
When asked if Tinubu had already secured victory in the 2027 presidential race, Lawal alleged that the president would outmatch other candidates through election manipulation.
“Landslide. He will out-rig everybody,” he said.
“If the parameter for winning the election in Nigeria is rigging, nobody can face Bola Tinubu in this.”
Lawal also criticised Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
“If Atiku’s strength is in manipulating results, I wish him luck. He will meet the master rigger in the front. And then we are all the worse for it,” he said.
“That’s our choice. Maybe that’s how Nigerians want their things. I don’t want to be part of anything.”
During the interview, Lawal was asked why he often calls Atiku “Kachalla”.
“That is the title people like (Turji Bello) are calling their local leaders,” he said.
Asked if he was comparing Atiku to a bandit leader or terrorist, Lawal linked the term to Fulani communities.
“His people, in the bush, they call their leaders Kachalla. Is he not a Fulani man? ” he said.
When questioned about whether the description was fair, Lawal pointed to the reaction of some Fulani groups following Atiku’s emergence as the ADC presidential candidate.
“Fulanis are celebrating now that their brother has gotten the ticket,” he said.
“Isn’t it? And they are beginning to celebrate that they will produce the president. Why are they celebrating? Have you ever heard Atiku condemn all these kidnappings, massive killings?”
