In a recent statement issued in Abuja, Babachir Lawal, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), challenged the outcome of the 2023 presidential election, disputing the declaration made by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that Bola Tinubu emerged as the winner. According to Lawal, the real victor of the election was Peter Obi, the candidate of the Labour Party (LP).
Lawal, a close associate of Bola Tinubu, backed his assertion by stating that extensive and verifiable data from various independent sources indicated that Peter Obi received the majority of votes, with Atiku coming in second place. In contrast, Lawal claimed that Tinubu secured a distant third position in terms of the number of votes obtained.
In his strongly worded statement, Babachir Lawal highlighted his initial reluctance to participate in the ongoing political discourse due to the need for a thorough analysis of the election data. He also cited his commitment to farming activities as the reason for his brief withdrawal from political discussions.
Regarding the pertinent questions surrounding the election, Lawal firmly contended that regardless of the pronouncements of INEC or the decisions of the Appeal Court, Bola Tinubu did not emerge as the victor in the presidential election. He emphasized that Tinubu seemed aware of his inability to secure a win in a free and fair contest from the early stages of the campaign, which led him to resort to other means.
Moreover, Babachir Lawal opined that in light of the increasing negative revelations concerning Tinubu’s background and character, ethical and moral considerations should have prompted him to voluntarily withdraw from the election. Despite this, Lawal believes that Tinubu still has an opportunity to save himself from public humiliation and international embarrassment by resigning and focusing on his health.