Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation has noted that though he is still a member of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), he is supporting Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), for the 2023 election.
Babachir who spoke in interview with the BBC, said he and others supported the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to win the primary election, but they later realised he had been hiding his decision to pick a Muslim running mate from them.
The former SGF said he is no longer supporting Tinubu and APC will lose the presidential election.
“I am not for Bola Tinubu now. I am not for a Muslim-Muslim ticket,” he said. “It is Bola who did not want to go with us, he chose where he wants to go, and we told him that we will not vote for him if he did a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) discussed with us and they agreed to do what we want if we support them and we agreed to support them.”
PDP is fielding a Muslim-Christian ticket, with Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate while Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State is his running mate.
Babachir added that the Labour Party tried so much to convince him and other aggrieved members to work for the party.
He added, “You see the problem of the northerners, if you say you are a Christian, it is difficult for us to get a job.
“You see, of the 27 universities in the north, there are only two Christian VCs and of 27 polytechnics there are only two Christian rectors, that’s federal, but not to talk of state-owned.”
Babachir complained that the ‘discrimination’ shown to Christians in the North is too much for them, “and you still went ahead to do Muslim-Muslim ticket; that is double blows on us.”
When he was asked whether they tried to reach Tinubu to discuss the issue, he said, “No, he is the one to look for us now, I will not look for him. We have a place to go and a place to stay. But he didn’t look for us.
“If he sees that he will win the election, let see how he will win the election.”
He maintained that he is still in the APC but he and his people would not support Tinubu.
Regarding the fact that he might be accused of anti-party conduct, Babachir said he was bothered even if he would be insulted.
“If Buhari leaves politics, I will also leave because I joined politics because of him,” he added.