Wike: Babachir Lawal angry Tinubu didn’t pick him as running mate

Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), has accused Babachir Lawal, former secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), of “disrespecting” President Bola Tinubu.

On August 8, on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ programme, Lawal criticised the Tinubu administration, accusing the president of being arrogant and unapproachable.

“He (Tinubu) is arrogant. The guy has an arrogance that belies definitions. The problem with Bola Tinubu is that he thinks I’m the one that offended him,” Lawal had said.

“I didn’t offend him, he offended me and he is full of himself, and he thinks that because he is now so-called president… I believe he didn’t win the election.”

Responding during the TV show on Tuesday, Wike claimed Lawal’s grouse stems from Tinubu’s decision to pick Kashim Shettima as his running mate ahead of the 2023 election.

“When Mr President chose his vice-presidential candidate, I was one of those whom Babachir visited,” Wike said.

“He came to my house in Port Harcourt with one of the former speakers of the house of representatives.

“His anger was that he thought Mr President would have chosen him as a vice-presidential candidate. Having not done that, all hell must be let loose.”

The FCT minister said Lawal’s conduct shows bitterness rather than genuine criticism.

“It was very clear, we are not kids. Even a child who is intelligent would know where your anger is,” he said.

The former Rivers governor said he once thought Lawal deserved respect but has now realised that “he is not a man you can take for his words”.

“There are people I have had respect for; you find out that you are just holding them in high esteem for nothing,” he said.

“While I was a governor, I used to think that people like Babachir Lawal are people you should have respect for, until I started observing things. I never knew that he is not a man you can take for his words.

“I watched the interview and the unpalatable words he used against Mr President, how he said that Mr President is full of himself. It is really unfortunate.

“A man will come out on national television not to genuinely criticise what Mr President has done wrong, but to accuse him simply because he had a relationship with Mr President before.

“That does not give him the latitude to come on national television to say a President of a country is full of himself. He doesn’t even call him ‘President’; he just says ‘Bola’.”

Wike added that if Lawal has personal differences with Tinubu, “there is nothing wrong with finding a way to sort it out”.

The minister also noted that governance is a collective and asked Nigerians to engage ministers and advisers rather than expect direct access to the president.

‘ADC HAS BEEN REJECTED’

The FCT minister also claimed that Nigerians have rejected the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition.

Wike dismissed the adoption of the ADC by opposition politicians, saying the party is not a coalition as widely reported and perceived.

He added that the movement of a group of individuals from one party to another does not constitute a coalition.

“There’s no coalition. Nigerians have already rejected them; the by-election is enough evidence. They did not make any impact. But that is just the beginning,” he said.

“There’s no coalition. What is coalition? You can talk about coalition when CPC and AC and some PDP members went to form another party… that you can call coalition.

“From what happened in the by-election, how can you say Nigerians are looking up to them (ADC)?”

The former governor also said he is not aware of any proposed elective convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Wike said he and his allies in the party would be meeting on Wednesday to review the decision, warning that they would not allow any “injustice” to stand.

On August 18, the national working committee (NWC) of the PDP unveiled a 110-member organising committee for the party’s national convention scheduled to take place on November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.