As Nigerians approach the threshold of the 2023 elections expected to usher in a new dawn, former Secretary to the federal government, Babachir Lawal has declared that the Labour Party, LP presidential candidate, Peter Obi would emerged as the next president even as he dismissed with a wave of the hand the much reported presence of cabal in the government of President Mohammedu Buhari.
Lawal who is a strong supporter of the LP presidential candidate, said that initially, the 2023 presidential election was a battle between the All Progressive Congress, APC and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP presidential candidates but the sudden emergence of Peter Obi and the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso was a conflagration the two major parties lack the capacity to factor in the new dynamics.
The former SGF disclosed that there was no cabal at the President Buhari’s government but a caucus which comprised of recalcitrant lieutenants who bluntly refused to implement the orders of the president.
“The President gives instructions to this group of persons, they pretend as though they would adhere to the order only to come back with a report of doing their own biddings,” he said.
The former SGF who claimed to have known President Buhari for years, said his support for the President in 2015 was based on the fact that he had proved to be a trusted and good leader as he demonstrated during his early days as the Governor of Borno state, former minister of petroleum and Ex Head Of state.
“For a man who had gone through these processes, I think he has demonstrated enough capacity to lead,”the former SGF said.
Lawal who stated that the February presidential poll is a battle between the LP and PDP, however assured that Peter Obi would win the election based on current permutations.
According to him, Obi would record electoral victory in the South East, middle belt region in states like Taraba, Adamawa, Benue, plateau and Nasarawa, while in the north, Obi would win in Katsina, Kaduna and in Kano state, Kwankwaso would clinch the majority vote, followed by the LP presidential candidate.
He said the permutations were based on the premise that out of the five million voters in Kano and Lagos, more than one million of them are Igbos who could not travelled to their villages to register due to the worsening state of insecurity nationwide.
