Babachir turned against Tinubu after missing out on VP slot – Wike

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has alleged that former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, became critical of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu after being sidelined in the race for the vice-presidential slot.

Wike made the claim while addressing political developments within the All Progressives Congress (APC), stressing that Lawal’s recent attacks on Tinubu stemmed from personal grievances rather than genuine concerns.

According to the minister, Lawal had expected to be considered for the vice-presidential position but turned against the president after his ambition did not materialize.

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“When Mr President chose his vice-presidential candidate, I was one of those Babachir Lawal visited. He came to my house in Port Harcourt. What was his anger?

“His anger was that he thought Mr President would have chosen him as the vice-presidential candidate. Having not done that, he let loose,” Wike said on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Tuesday.

Lawal recently criticised the Tinubu administration for its performance and governance style.

According to Wike, Lawal’s discontent was evident from the way he reacted. “It was very clear, we are not kids. Even a child who is intelligent would know where your anger is,” the minister said.

Wike further faulted Lawal’s criticisms of the President and described his comments as disrespectful. He advised that if Lawal had issues with Tinubu, there was “nothing wrong” in addressing them directly with the president.

Wike said he had once respected Lawal but was disappointed by his recent outburst.

“There are people I have had respect for; you find out that you are just holding them in high esteem for nothing. While I was a governor, I used to think that people like Babachir Lawal are people you should have respect for, until I started observing things. I never knew that he is not a man you can take for his words,” he stated.

The minister faulted Lawal’s choice of words against the President, saying, “I watched the interview and the unpalatable words he used against Mr President, how he said that Mr President is full of himself. It is really unfortunate.

“A man will come out on national television not to genuinely criticise what Mr President has done wrong, but to accuse him simply because he had a relationship with Mr President before.

“That does not give him the latitude to come on national television to say a President of a country is full of himself. He doesn’t even call him ‘President’; he just says ‘Bola’. If you had a problem with Mr President before he became President, there is nothing wrong with finding a way to sort it out.”

Wike also stressed that governance is collective and urged Nigerians to engage ministers and advisers rather than expect direct access to the President.

“When you say Mr President is unapproachable, government is unapproachable, what do you call government? I am the minister in charge of the Federal Capital Territory. Must everybody reach Mr President? Is that the way the government runs?

“If everybody in this country refuses to reach out to ministers or special advisers and just wants to see Mr President, how many people can he attend to at a time? I am a minister. If you have a problem regarding activities in the FCT, have you tried to reach out to the FCT minister?”

When asked if the administration was approachable, he replied, “Of course.”

Wike’s comments followed Lawal’s recent description of Tinubu and his government as “unapproachable.” The former SGF, who has been a vocal critic of the administration, also said he would not have coped if he were in the cabinet, adding that he would have either resigned, been sacked, or even “killed”.

Lawal also faulted the government’s economic policies, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy in 2023, arguing that Nigerians had yet to benefit and alleging that the subsidy was still being secretly paid despite official claims to the contrary.

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