Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has shed fresh light on one of the most debated moments in Nigeria’s recent political history, explaining why former President Muhammadu Buhari chose not to openly support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the All Progressives Congress presidential primary ahead of the 2023 general election.
Lawal said Buhari deliberately maintained neutrality throughout the contest because he believed the ruling party should be allowed to conduct a transparent and democratic primary without interference from the presidency. According to him, the former president wanted delegates to freely decide who would fly the party’s flag rather than influence the outcome by endorsing a preferred aspirant.
The revelation comes amid renewed discussions about the political relationship between Buhari and Tinubu, two influential figures whose alliance helped propel the APC to power in 2015 after defeating the Peoples Democratic Party.
Speaking on the events that shaped the primary election, Lawal said Buhari was under immense pressure from various political interests to publicly declare support for one of the aspirants. Despite those demands, the former president insisted that every contestant deserved a level playing field and that the delegates should determine the outcome through their votes.
According to Lawal, Buhari believed that openly backing a candidate could undermine the credibility of the exercise and create the impression that the winner emerged through presidential influence rather than the democratic will of party members.
The APC presidential primary, held in Abuja in June 2022, attracted some of the country’s most prominent politicians. Among those who sought the party’s ticket were former Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu, then Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, Senate President Ahmad Lawan, Ebonyi State Governor Dave Umahi and several other high profile aspirants.
Before the convention, political observers widely speculated that Buhari would eventually endorse a preferred successor, as has often been the case in Nigerian politics. However, the former president repeatedly stated that he had no anointed candidate and encouraged delegates to vote according to their conscience.
The primary eventually produced Tinubu as the APC presidential candidate after he secured a commanding victory over his closest rivals.
Lawal argued that Buhari’s refusal to openly support any aspirant enhanced the credibility of the process and demonstrated respect for internal party democracy. He maintained that delegates were able to exercise their constitutional right without direct pressure from the nation’s highest political office.
The former SGF also addressed the long running debate over Tinubu’s role in Buhari’s emergence as president in 2015.
According to Lawal, while Tinubu made important contributions to the formation of the APC and the coalition that defeated the PDP, Buhari already possessed a massive support base across the country before the alliance was formed.
He explained that Buhari’s popularity, particularly in northern Nigeria, had been built over several presidential campaigns and that millions of loyal supporters consistently stood behind him long before the creation of the APC.
Lawal insisted that portraying Tinubu as the sole architect of Buhari’s electoral victory ignores the political realities that existed before the merger of opposition parties.
His remarks have once again sparked conversations about the history of the APC and the balance of influence among the party’s founding leaders.
Political analysts believe the comments could fuel fresh debate within the ruling party, particularly as political alignments begin to take shape ahead of future elections.
The relationship between Buhari and Tinubu has remained a subject of public interest since the 2023 presidential election. Although Tinubu eventually succeeded Buhari as president, questions have continued to surface regarding the level of support he received from the former leader during the party’s nomination process.
Many analysts have pointed to Buhari’s public neutrality as one of the defining features of the APC primary, arguing that it allowed the contest to remain highly competitive until the final votes were counted.
Lawal’s latest comments also come against the backdrop of his growing criticism of the Tinubu administration.
Since leaving office, the former SGF has become one of the government’s outspoken critics, regularly expressing concerns about national governance, economic challenges and the direction of the ruling party. His position has attracted both praise and criticism from different political camps.
Despite these developments, the APC presidential primary remains one of the most significant political events in Nigeria’s democratic history.
Tinubu’s victory at the convention paved the way for his eventual election as Nigeria’s president, marking the continuation of APC leadership at the federal level after Buhari completed two terms in office.
For many political observers, Buhari’s decision not to publicly endorse any aspirant remains a rare example of restraint in a political environment where incumbents are often expected to determine succession outcomes.
Whether viewed as a commitment to democratic principles or a strategic political calculation, the former president’s neutrality continues to generate debate more than three years after the contest.
With Lawal’s latest revelations adding another perspective to the story, discussions surrounding the APC primary and the political dynamics that produced Nigeria’s current leadership are likely to remain part of the nation’s political conversation for years to come.
