Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of wanting people to address him as president despite never having occupied the office.
Lawal made the claim while speaking about his experience with Atiku, whom he criticised as a person who expects others to recognise and defer to him.
“I was even hoping at one time I’d be able to work with him…. It’s impossible to work with him, with my own type of person. It’s not possible. He’s a man full of himself,” Lawal said.
He added, “Everything must be him. He must give it to you at his own wish. It must be in his house. You must call him Mr. President, even though he’s not. Even though he will never be one. That’s who he is, full of himself.”
Lawal’s remarks come amid his latest political realignment ahead of the 2027 general election and his long-running criticism of Atiku.
The former SGF recently defected to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), where he is expected to support the presidential ticket of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso.
His movement to the NDC followed a meeting with the party’s National Leader, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, at Dickson’s residence in Abuja. Lawal had previously been a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), but resigned from the party on June 1 after Atiku emerged as its presidential candidate.
Lawal had openly opposed Atiku’s emergence during the ADC presidential primary and alleged that the process was manipulated to favour the former vice president.
In his resignation statement, Lawal said, “I am exiting the ADC because its just concluded primaries were at all levels massively rigged in favour of Abubakar Atiku.”
He further alleged that results were altered to favour Atiku and that some candidates who won their contests were subsequently replaced.
“Results were just written or rewritten to favour him and his coven. Even where they allowed some semblance of election to hold, the winners were simply replaced with members of his syndicate. In the real sense, it was a disgraceful charade,” he alleged.
Atiku’s camp rejected the allegations and maintained that his emergence was a legitimate reflection of the outcome of the ADC presidential primary.
Atiku was declared the winner of the primary after receiving 1,846,370 votes, ahead of former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi and businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.
Lawal had also argued that supporting Atiku could strengthen President Bola Tinubu’s chances of securing another term in office, a prospect he said he opposed.
“For me, working for Atiku means giving Tinubu an automatic ticket to a second term, which gives me nightmares,” Lawal said.
However, Lawal subsequently said that if Nigerians were left with a choice between Tinubu and Atiku, he would support the incumbent president despite his criticisms of the administration.
“I have said it before: if the choice must be between Atiku and Tinubu, then despite the shortcomings of Tinubu’s administration, he would still be a far better president compared to what Atiku would bring Nigeria into,” he said.
He added, “When you are faced with choosing between two devils, you pick the lesser one. Even among devils, there are different categories.”
Lawal’s latest comments also build on his previous criticism of Atiku following the ADC primary. In June, he explained why he repeatedly referred to Atiku as “Kachalla,” a term he associated with the leaders of Fulani bandit groups.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Lawal questioned Atiku’s response to insecurity in the country.
“Have you seen Atiku condemning bandit attacks?” Lawal asked.
He had used the expression in a resignation statement titled “The Kachalla Series Part 1,” in which he criticised Atiku’s emergence as the ADC presidential candidate and said he would not participate in Atiku’s campaign for the 2027 election.
Lawal’s political position has also involved criticism of both the Tinubu and Atiku camps. Although he has opposed the Tinubu administration on several issues, he has maintained that he would prefer Tinubu over Atiku if those were the only two options before voters.
Lawal had previously supported Obi during the 2023 presidential election, when the former Anambra State governor contested under the Labour Party.
