Former SGF Babachir Lawal alleges financial deals and decline in President Tinubu
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal has repeatedly claimed that President Bola Tinubu engaged in extensive financial inducements and that his conduct has deteriorated since assuming office. Lawal denied reports that former Vice‑President Atiku Abubakar funded his own governorship bid, calling the story about a ₦5 billion request baseless. He asserted that “millions of dollars” passed between Tinubu and northern governors to secure the 2023 presidential nomination and that Tinubu “lost his soul” after becoming president, describing a shift in character after 2022 when he moved to Abuja and was surrounded by “religious bigots”.
Lawal also said the late President Muhammadu Buhari had long harboured reservations about Tinubu’s background, based on intelligence on his upbringing, genealogy and education, but still accepted his support during the 2015 formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC). According to Lawal, Tinubu personally financed major portions of the APC’s 2015 campaign, including funding Yemi Osinbajo’s separate outreach, hiring private jets, and paying American consultants at a cost exceeding two billion naira. He added that Tinubu’s health is poor, noting the president lives on bananas and groundnuts and smokes “silk cigarettes”.
Entities: Atiku Abubakar · Babachir Lawal · Bola Tinubu · Muhammadu Buhari · Yemi Osinbajo
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] President Bola Tinubu’s health is poor; he eats only bananas and groundnuts and smokes “silk cigarettes”. (Babachir Lawal)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Atiku Abubakar does not have ₦5 billion to fund a governorship campaign. (Babachir Lawal)
- [● 3 SOURCES] President Tinubu personally financed major portions of the APC’s 2015 campaign, including funding Yemi Osinbajo’s outreach and paying American consultants over two billion naira. (Babachir Lawal)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Tinubu changed character after becoming president, losing his “soul” and becoming influenced by religious bigots after moving to Abuja in 2022. (Babachir Lawal)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Former President Muhammadu Buhari had reservations about Tinubu’s background based on intelligence reports before the 2015 APC merger. (Babachir Lawal)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Millions of dollars were exchanged between President Bola Tinubu and northern governors to secure his 2023 presidential nomination. (Babachir Lawal)