LAGOS, Nigeria — Babachir Lawal, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, has said President Bola Tinubu would be difficult to defeat in the 2027 presidential election if electoral manipulation determines the outcome.
Lawal made the claim on Monday, June 1, 2026, during an appearance on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme.
Asked whether he believed Tinubu had already won the 2027 election, Lawal alleged that the president would defeat other candidates through rigging.
“Landslide. He will out-rig everybody,” Lawal said.
“If the parameter for winning the election in Nigeria is rigging, nobody can face Bola Tinubu in this.”
Lawal also directed criticism at Atiku Abubakar, the former vice president, suggesting that any candidate relying on manipulation would face a stronger opponent in Tinubu.
“If Atiku’s strength is in manipulating results, I wish him luck. He will meet the master rigger in the front. And then we are all the worse for it,” he said.
“That’s our choice. Maybe that’s how Nigerians want their things. I don’t want to be part of anything.”
Remarks on Atiku
During the interview, Lawal was asked why he had referred to Atiku as “Kachalla.”
“That is the title people like Turji Bello are calling their local leaders,” Lawal said.
Asked whether he was comparing Atiku to a bandit leader or terrorist, Lawal linked the term to Fulani communities.
“His people, in the bush, they call their leaders Kachalla. Is he not a Fulani man?” he said.
When asked whether the description was fair, Lawal questioned why some Fulani groups were celebrating Atiku’s emergence as a presidential candidate.
“Fulanis are celebrating now that their brother has gotten the ticket,” he said.
“Isn’t it? And they are beginning to celebrate that they will produce the president. Why are they celebrating? Have you ever heard Atiku condemn all these kidnappings, massive killings?”
