Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal asserted that every government has an inner caucus and that governance is no longer in the hands of President Muhammadu Buhari. Lawal made these remarks on Channels Television’s “The Verdict 2023” on Friday night while discussing the state of the ruling All Progressives Congress. He said that those within the current regime who have the President’s ear are refusing to carry out his expectations or those of the public.
Lawal noted that before Buhari’s election in 2015, he demonstrated a remarkable sense of leadership, drawing on his experience as governor of Borno State, Minister of Petroleum, and military head of state. However, the former president faced challenges with his “lieutenants” regarding who would implement his projects and orders. “Things are out of his hands; there’s no running away from that fact,” Lawal said. “There are people who do not follow the orders they are given. As soon as they leave where the order is given, they do different things. No government exists without an inner caucus.”
He added that some individuals who have the President’s ear are not acting on his directives, nor meeting societal expectations. “I know President Buhari very well, even before he became President, and most Nigerians also knew him. Based on his background as former governor of Borno State, former Minister of Petroleum, and then President, the expectation was that he would demonstrate a remarkable ability to rule. By 2015 we were almost at the same level of frustration we feel now; people were fed up. When he took office, he had issues with his lieutenants about who would execute his orders and policies. That is my perspective.”
When asked about his shift from supporting and belonging to the APC to joining the Labour Party, whose presidential candidate is Peter Obi, Lawal said, “I’ve seen the light; you can repent when you see the light. I saw the light and I repented, I’m sorry. The light is Peter Obi. The darkness is the old system that used to govern us, represented by both the PDP and the APC—no change, the same people, the same agbada, the same red‑face cap. Nigerians have seen the light, not only me.”
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