Babachir Lawal, the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, has asserted that Muhammadu Buhari held persistent doubts regarding Bola Tinubu’s background, even while accepting his political assistance to establish the All Progressives Congress. In a Saturday interview with Symfoni TV, Lawal explained that Buhari possessed intelligence reports regarding Tinubu’s lineage, upbringing, and education well before the APC merger took place.
Lawal noted that whenever Buhari voiced grievances about Tinubu, he would remind the former president that those specific concerns were documented before they initially sought Tinubu’s collaboration. According to Lawal, Buhari would acknowledge these facts, as he was well-informed of the details regarding Tinubu’s history. Lawal argued that it was hypocritical for Buhari to label Tinubu negatively after willingly benefiting from his support, which was provided without reservation.
The former SGF emphasized the moral inconsistency of such a stance, suggesting it was unfair to attack an ally after the fact. He stated that since Buhari had accepted Tinubu’s help despite having full access to sensitive intelligence reports, it was unjust to treat him as an adversary later. Lawal concluded that he consistently reminded the former leader that they had made a choice to align with Tinubu, and therefore, it was wrong to turn against him.
