THE Presidency has delivered a blistering rebuttal to recent criticisms of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, accusing him of opportunism, arrogance, and seeking attention through political provocation.
Speaking on Channels Television on Monday, Lawal said he could not forgive Tinubu for what he described as arrogance, neglect of political allies, and an unwillingness to acknowledge the efforts of those who backed his rise to the presidency.
He claimed Tinubu’s actions since taking office confirmed his belief that public office had changed the president’s character.
In a sharply worded response on Tuesday, Special Adviser to the President on Public Communication, Sunday Dare, dismissed Lawal’s remarks as the outburst of a man “gasping for political oxygen.”
“Babachir Lawal, our latest political content creator cum political soothsayer, is gasping for political oxygen. In that desperate search, everything and everyone is fair game,” Dare wrote on his official X handle.
Dare said Lawal’s Channels TV appearance was “provocative and unwarranted,” describing it as a “poorly scripted attempt” to bait President Tinubu into controversy.
He accused the former SGF of inconsistency, pointing out that Lawal once prayed for “the wrath of God” to fall on anyone who stood in Tinubu’s path to the presidency, yet is now openly insulting him.
According to Dare, Lawal’s public statements show him as “a fair-weather friend, an opportunist, clout chaser, and clay-footed political crusader” whose political relevance is fading.
Dare also rejected Lawal’s claim that Labour Party’s Peter Obi won the 2023 presidential election, calling it “a barefaced lie.”
“The people have spoken, the law has sanctioned it; the courts have ruled. On that matter, let all else remain silent,” Dare declared.
He insisted that Tinubu won “fair and square” and will remain president until 2027.
The presidential aide took strong exception to Lawal’s description of Tinubu as “so-called president,” calling it a disgraceful attack on an office Lawal once served under.
“Have you forgotten the dignity that comes with that office?” Dare asked, warning Lawal to “know when to stop short of denigrating the office and person of the President.”
Dare alleged that Lawal’s animosity may stem from Tinubu’s choice of vice president, suggesting that Lawal had expected the role.
The statement accused Lawal of playing ethnic politics and reminded him of his removal from office under former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2017, an incident Dare said showed Lawal’s longstanding arrogance.
“Such hubris then, such hubris now,” Dare remarked, recalling Lawal’s dismissive reaction to his sack at the time: “Who is the Presidency?”
Dare concluded that Lawal’s televised remarks do not bolster his credibility but instead reinforce why he is no longer in government, warning that his “political and community oblivion” is fast approaching.