Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has said he would support President Bola Tinubu over former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the 2027 presidential election.
Lawal said his position was influenced by his previous experience working with Atiku, alleging that an Atiku presidency could result in what he described as a “chaotic” situation.
Speaking on the Naija Unfiltered Podcast, Lawal said he initially wanted to support Atiku because he believed the North should retain the presidency amid the challenges facing the region.
However, he said his experience working with the former vice president later changed his position, alleging that Atiku would sometimes issue instructions and subsequently reverse them after consulting with others.
Lawal also claimed that Atiku had asked him to approach former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi over a proposed 2027 presidential ticket involving the two politicians.
According to Lawal, Atiku proposed serving one term before seeking a constitutional amendment to create a single six-year presidential term, after which presidential rotation would begin with the South-East and North-Central zones.
Lawal said he approached Obi because of his relationship with the former governor, but Obi rejected the proposal, reportedly saying his assessment suggested that an Atiku-Obi ticket was unlikely to win the election.
The former SGF said Obi subsequently indicated that he would rather not contest than join a ticket he believed would lose.
