Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has said he would rather support President Bola Tinubu than former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the 2027 presidential election, arguing that an Atiku presidency could plunge Nigeria into a “chaotic” crisis.
Lawal made the statement during an interview on the Naija Unfiltered Podcast, while explaining why he no longer supports Atiku’s presidential ambition.
“I’d rather go with Bola than Atiku because when Nigeria crashes with Bola, it might be an orderly crash, but with Atiku it would be a chaotic one,” Lawal said.
Asked why he held such a view, the former SGF replied: “Because he’s not a good man.”
Lawal said his position was shaped by his previous experience working with Atiku, although he initially considered supporting the former vice president because of what he described as the worsening condition of northern Nigeria.
“I wanted to work for Atiku. I had the belief that the North, the way we are suffering, we should not surrender the presidency, that at least our own man will, if nothing else, stop the decline we are in,” he said.
However, Lawal said his experience working with Atiku eventually changed his position, alleging that the former vice president frequently gave instructions that were later reversed after he consulted other people.
“Everything you do with him, there’s chaos,” Lawal said.
“He will call you and tell you, ‘Do this,’ and then you do it, then front you are back.”
The former SGF also alleged that disagreements over political appointments contributed to what he described as confusion, claiming that decisions reached with Atiku were sometimes altered following interventions by other individuals.
Lawal further disclosed that Atiku had previously asked him to persuade former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, to accept the position of running mate ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
According to him, Atiku proposed serving one term and subsequently pursuing a constitutional amendment to create a single six-year presidential term.
He said Atiku also proposed that presidential rotation should thereafter begin with the South-East and North-Central regions.
Lawal said he approached Obi because of his relationship with the former Anambra governor, but Obi rejected the proposed arrangement.
“He says his survey shows him that they are unlikely to win if he pairs with Atiku,” Lawal quoted Obi as saying.
According to Lawal, Obi subsequently indicated that he would rather not contest the election than join a ticket he believed was unlikely to win.
Lawal said he later conveyed Obi’s position to Atiku and also consulted some prominent Igbo figures in an attempt to persuade the former Anambra governor, but the effort failed.
His comments come amid continuing negotiations and political realignments among opposition figures ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with the possibility of alliances and joint tickets remaining a major issue.
