Tinubu helped build APC, funded Buhari’s 2015 campaign — Ex-SGF Babachir Lawal

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has asserted that President Bola Tinubu played a crucial role in the establishment of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and provided substantial financial backing for the 2015 presidential campaign that brought former President Muhammadu Buhari to power.

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I was in Dubai when you called me that I should come out because we want to do a merger with the ACN. And I told you, sir, this role you want me to play, I cannot play it… So Buhari said, you are the only one that can help us do this merger because Bola is your friend

Lawal, who served under Buhari, recounted in a recent interview that he acted as an intermediary between Buhari and Tinubu to facilitate the merger of opposition parties into the APC. He explained that Buhari specifically tasked him with this role due to his close relationship with Tinubu. Initially hesitant due to potential backlash from some northern political figures, Lawal accepted after Buhari's insistence.

Lawal described shuttling between parties and consulting with co-chairmen to ensure the merger's success. He revealed that Tinubu postponed his own presidential aspirations at the time to prioritize the objective of removing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from power. "BD, you know my ambition to be president. But the way the country is going, the primary goal is to get rid of PDP. I will defer my ambition, put it aside until we achieve this goal," Lawal quoted Tinubu as saying.

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BD, you know my ambition to be president. But the way the country is going, the primary goal is to get rid of PDP. I will defer my ambition, put it aside until we achieve this goal.

Furthermore, Lawal claimed that Tinubu was pivotal in securing Buhari's nomination as the APC presidential candidate. He presented data to Tinubu showing Buhari's strong northern support required additional votes from the South-West. Lawal stated he told Tinubu, "Sir, look at it. I have this data… This man (Buhari), whether he is on the ballot or not, he normally gets 12 million votes from the north. So it required three more million votes… Sir, why not support your winning ticket?" Tinubu, persuaded by this logic, reportedly convinced party stakeholders to support Buhari.

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Sir, look at it. I have this data… This man (Buhari), whether he is on the ballot or not, he normally gets 12 million votes from the north. So it required three more million votes… Sir, why not support your winning ticket?

Lawal also alleged that Tinubu mobilized considerable funds for the main campaign and separately financed former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo's campaign activities, as Osinbajo's efforts operated somewhat independently. "Through him (Tinubu), we were able to raise sufficient funds to do the campaign. Not only did he do that, Osinbajo’s portion of the campaign, he funded it, hired a chartered plane to fund the trip because Osinbajo’s campaign was a little bit broken away from the main campaign," Lawal added.

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He (Tinubu) saw the logic, persuaded them with the argument. And coming from Tinubu, of course… So at the last minute, around 4 a.m., they agreed that they were going to support Buhari.