Babachir Lawal, a former
secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), says he is qualified to
lead Nigeria.
In an interview with The Sun,
Lawal said the constitution did not limit the presidency to any part of the
country.
He was speaking on the issue of
zoning the 2023 presidency outside the north.
“Every part of Nigeria can
produce a president, a competent one,” he said.
“I know so many. Being a
cosmopolitan man, I know Igbos not less than ten that can successfully run this
country; I know Yorubas that can do, I know Ijaws that can do, I know Hausas
that can do, I know even Kilba.
“Hey myself, my friend, I can be
president of this country. I consider myself quite competent to do so from a
small tribe of 300,000 people. There are so many such tribes that can produce
good, competent leaders all over Nigeria.
“Even if it is in the north, if
we say the north-west has produced a presidential candidate, the south-west had
produced one, I don’t see why the north-central can- not produce or the
north-east cannot produce just as south-south, south-east, south-west and even
north-west can still produce. The constitution doesn’t say it is prohibited.
And as I said, I believe every zone, every state, has capable people that can
run this country effectively.”
Lawal said the idea of deputies
succeeding their principals is neither in the constitution of Nigeria nor that
of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Also touching on the outcome of
the governorship election in his state of Adamawa, Lawal blamed APC’s loss on
Jibrilla Bindow , governor of the state.
He accused the governor of
hijacking the party structure.
“Part of what led to this outcome
was a historical position that the government of Bindow had on several
occasions publicly declared that their government was a government of Atiku,”
he said.
“It is on record that in so many
fora, his supporters, his henchmen had said it in his presence and he didn’t
take any step to deny it. I remember at one of their road launching somewhere
in Adamawa State, the then-led Chief of Staff, made a long speech in which he
insisted that Adamawa State Government was for Atiku. Now, we did also point
out the fact that the governor himself had claimed that it was Atiku’s money
that facilitated his victory at the polls.
“He had said that on several
occasions. We have also had cause to protest that in Bindow’s government, there
were about seven serving com- missioners who were very close to Atiku,
including his own daughter. Without regard to their merit as qualified
indigenes, but I mean, their political inclinations in normal politics will
disqualify them from participating in an APC government. But the governor
didn’t think so.”
Lawal was sacked as SGF in
October 2017, after he was indicted in the over N544m grass-cutting scandal.
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