Babachir Lawal: Why I Chose To Endorse Peter Obi

A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has given reasons for endorsing the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi and his running mate Yusuf Datti Ahmed as his candidate ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Lawan in a statement disclosed that the Obi/Datti administration will give Nigeria a breath of fresh air, expressing that they have what it takes to redeem the country.

His statement partly reads, “The Obi/Datti will give us a breath of fresh air and the greatest opportunity to redeem our country from the quagmire into which we have been plunged by a recurring group of self-centred reactionaries.

“There is also this palpable fear and anxiety over a possible transition of the current presidency from one Fulbe to another – same tribe, same religion, same region, same courtiers. This has given rise to a heightened fear of a possible perpetuation of a Fulbe hegemony in the country. Besides, there is the perception by many Nigerians that the Fulbe are the main actors in the banditry and kidnappings currently ravaging the country. Therefore, there is a widespread perception that another Fulbe-led government will not have the inclination or political will to address the country’s security challenges seeing as a majority of the perpetrators are its kin.

“There is also this perception that appointments by the current government are driven more by ethnic and religious cronyism than by Nationalistic considerations. This has given rise to a fear of a possible perpetuation of this trend by another Fulbe-led government. Both APC and PDP present us with these horrible options. The Obi/Datti ticket possesses great potential to wean us from these problems.

“Finally, as the political campaigns advance towards the election dates, the tendency to divide the country along regional, tribal and religious affiliations is gradually beginning to manifest. We can see very clearly that the APC has woefully failed in its original plan to instigate a form of jihad which it had sought through its same-faith ticket in order to capture the Muslim votes, and has now resorted to a tribal card. The battle cry is now “it is our turn” tribal card in the South-West.”

Source:- Independent Ng