Nigeria may crash chaotically under Atiku – Babachir Lawal says he’d rather back Tinubu

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, arguing that an Atiku presidency could lead to a “chaotic” crash.

Lawal made the remarks during an interview on the Naija Unfiltered Podcast, while explaining his opposition to Atiku’s presidential ambition ahead of the 2027 election.

“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 that view, the former SGF replied, “Because he’s not a good man.”

Lawal said his position was influenced by his previous experience working with Atiku, although he had initially considered supporting the former vice president because of what he described as the worsening situation in 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 not, if nothing else, stop the decline we are in,” he said.

He, however, said his experience working with Atiku eventually changed his mind, alleging that the former vice president often issued instructions and later reversed them after consulting 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.”

Lawal also alleged that disagreements over political appointments contributed to the confusion, claiming that decisions reached with Atiku were sometimes altered after interventions by others.

The former SGF 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 election.

According to Lawal, Atiku proposed serving one term before pursuing a constitutional amendment to make the presidency a single six-year term. He said Atiku also proposed that presidential rotation should subsequently begin with the South-East and North-Central zones.

Lawal said he approached Obi because of his relationship with the former Anambra governor, but Obi declined 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 than join a ticket he believed would lose.

He said he later conveyed Obi’s position to Atiku and consulted some prominent Igbo figures in an effort to persuade Obi, but the attempt did not succeed.

Lawal’s comments come amid ongoing discussions among opposition figures over possible political alliances ahead of the 2027 presidential election.