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By Myke Agunwa
A staunch member of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Babachir Lawal has asserted that with the level of economic hardship, anti-people policies and balkanization of democratic institutions being perpetuated by President Bola Tinubu, the support of former President Muhammadu Buhari is not needed to kick him out of office in 2027.
Lawal, a former ally of Tinubu and a key stakeholder in the ongoing coalition talks involving former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi and Nasir El-Rufai disclosed that the alliance of politicians with like minds and the planned merger of parties are already sealed.
Recall that the home of Buhari in Kaduna had recently become a mecca of some sort, as politicians with various interest seek the blessing of the retired general to actualize their agenda in 2027.
The former SGF maintained that struggling to get the blessings of Buhari, even by loyalists of President Tinubu are like “chasing shadows” insisting that every genuine CPC chieftain who has the interest of the Talakawas (the poor and vulnerable) at heart, will stop at nothing to “kick out any government that brings pain and impoverishment to the people like the Tinubu administration.”
He continued, “These guys have given us a reason to come against them because the CPC is a Talakawa Movement. It’s a movement that has at heart the needs and feelings of the lower class. That is our ideology, which we learned from Buhari.
“The primary aim is how to serve the disenfranchised, discriminated people in the society, which this government has taken as a religion to cause suffering and marginalisation. It is as if the sight of a poor person annoys them. So they want to starve them to death.
“Now if you are an original CPC person, it will pain you. It will push you into action involuntarily to change this type of system that is out to destroy and marginalise the underprivileged in society. That is what Buhari stands for. That is who we are and what we learned from him,” Lawal told the media in Abuja.
Lawal who was a strong supporter of the candidate of Labour Party in the 2023 general election, Mr. Peter Obi maintained that the visit to Buhari’s residence was simply to accord him respect as an elder statesman and not to persuade him to join the coalition movement.
“First of all, we don’t need his (Buhari) blessing. We only needed to tell him what we wanted to do because we are adults. It is also not like we will go and tell Buhari to follow us. Of course, we are mature and intelligent people.
“Even if Buhari says, hey, gentlemen, I will join you. It is our responsibility to say, No, Oga please keep off. You are too big for us. We don’t want to involve you. You are part of this government. Please remain there until you are fed up.
“We understand ‘these people’ and the APC governors went to greet him on Sallah. I was not there when they were talking but we eventually found out what they went there to say. And, of course, we know how to handle it” he said.
Lawal also took a swipe at former Nasarawa Governor Tanko Al-Makura, ex-Minister of Communications Adebayo Shittu, and other CPC members, describing them as “black sheep of the defunct party.”
He said that he remains a member of the APC but will always work for what will benefit the ‘talakawas’.
“I can never leave the APC. I’m a very loyal member of the party. I have not seen what would justify my leaving. That is one. Number two, when you talk of CPC, you are talking of a dead horse. The party has since gone into oblivion.
“We had to dissolve CPC, AC and other parties for us to become APC. So now, it has become convenient for some people, for whatever selfish and self-serving reasons, to use the glorious name of CPC. The laughable thing about it is that they even say some people cannot talk on behalf of the CPC, as if the CPC is exclusive to them.
“To the best of my knowledge, I know the former Attorney General of the Federation is one of the leaders and a few other people there. I don’t see what the grievance is. They are just saying that they won’t go again with the APC.
“This government has made the majority of Nigerians hungry. Not everybody is like us who can’t tolerate hunger, injustice, tribal or religious bigotry. Of course, those people who came in as mercenaries and other benefits are free to leave. After all, there are still positions.
“There are still positions Bola Tinubu will give out. I don’t think the ambassadorial list and board members are complete. There’s a rumour that he might even rejig his cabinet. So quite a lot of people are free to haggle for those positions, be it from CPC or anywhere,” Lawal said.
Efforts to get the views of the former Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu, another staunch member of the defunct CPC were unsuccessful.