Tinubu will defeat Atiku if election is decided by rigging — Babachir Lawal

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has claimed that President Bola Tinubu would be difficult to defeat in the 2027 presidential election if the outcome is determined by electoral manipulation.

 

Lawal made the remark during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, where he argued that no politician currently possesses the capacity to outmaneuver Tinubu in what he described as the politics of election rigging.

 

Asked whether the President was already positioned for victory in 2027, Lawal replied: “Landslide. He’ll rig everybody.”

 

He added: “If the parameter for winning elections in Nigeria is rigging, nobody can face Bola Tinubu in this country. If Atiku’s strength is in manipulating results, I wish him luck; he will meet the master rigger in front.”

 

The former SGF also criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, saying he could not support the former PDP presidential candidate’s ambition.

 

“I know Atiku. I have studied his antecedents and realised that his presidency will be worse than Bola Tinubu’s,” Lawal said.

 

According to him, Atiku does not represent the type of leadership Nigeria currently needs, adding that he would not support any political project that could leave him with regrets.

 

Lawal further accused the former vice president of not showing enough concern about the country’s security challenges, including rising cases of kidnapping and killings.

 

Despite his criticism of both leading political figures, the former SGF said he had not endorsed any presidential aspirant ahead of the 2027 election.

 

“I am supporting nobody. I don’t want to be part of anything for now,” he stated.

 

Speaking on his political future after resigning from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Lawal said he was still consulting and had yet to decide whether to join another political platform.

 

His comments come shortly after his exit from the ADC, which he announced on Monday, citing alleged irregularities during the party’s presidential primary.

 

Lawal alleged that the exercise was manipulated in favour of Atiku, claiming that results were altered and that some successful candidates were replaced by individuals loyal to the former vice president.

 

He said the developments informed his decision to leave the party, describing the ADC as a “rigging machine” ahead of the 2027 elections.

 

The ADC leadership has denied the allegations, insisting that its presidential primary was conducted transparently and reflected the wishes of party members.

 

Atiku emerged winner of the contest after defeating former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi and businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.