2023: Buhari Thought Tinubu Was A Crook, And He Communicated That View To Me More Than Once – Babachir
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal, has claimed that Muhammadu Buhari privately expressed a negative opinion about Bola Tinubu to him on more than one occasion before Tinubu became president.
During an interview on Arise TV, Lawal made the allegation while being asked whether Buhari had reservations about Tinubu succeeding him as president during the political period preceding the 2023 election.
“Buhari thought Tinubu was a crook, and he communicated that view to me more than once,” Lawal claimed when pressed about what Buhari had allegedly told him.
The interviewer immediately sought clarification about whether Buhari had personally communicated such a position, and Lawal responded that it had happened more than once and was also reflected, in his interpretation, in Buhari’s body language.
Lawal nevertheless supported Tinubu’s presidential ambition and said he defended that decision by referring to the political relationship that had previously existed between Tinubu and Buhari.
He argued that Tinubu had provided important assistance to Buhari’s presidential campaign, including fundraising, political organisation and skills that strengthened the campaign structure.
Lawal said his position was that Buhari already knew Tinubu when accepting that assistance, making their previous political cooperation relevant to later disagreements over succession.
The interviewer explicitly noted that the description attributed to Buhari remained an allegation for purposes of the interview because no evidence had been produced to substantiate it.
Lawal accepted that point and said Buhari had not provided him with proof supporting the alleged description, meaning the interview did not independently establish the claim as fact.
Lawal therefore presented the statement as his recollection of private communications with Buhari, while the programme itself made clear that the allegation was unsupported by evidence presented during the interview.
COURTESY: Newslife_24
