Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has made bold claims about growing cracks within the All Progressives Congress (APC), stating that several governors and senior party figures are secretly supporting the emerging opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections. In a recent interview, Lawal said although these individuals have not yet made their support public, they are quietly aligning with the coalition’s mission to unseat the current administration.
“Yes, there are [APC members working with the coalition], and they will speak for themselves. Some might not be brave or bold enough to do it the way I have, but there are very many, some tell me, including some governors,” he revealed.
Lawal, who officially left the ruling party on June 29, admitted that he had already been working against the party from within. He cited a long-standing dissatisfaction with how the APC has been run, accusing the party of stifling internal debate and turning into a space where dissent is treated as betrayal.
“The APC has never been united; it’s been a party that has been intimidated and bullied into silence. No internal cohesion; you cannot even advise. Even advice is taken as anti-party. So, many people got frustrated that you cannot talk truth to power in APC,” he said.
He further accused the party of creating the very playbook it now condemns, members remaining in one party while working for another. Lawal referenced Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, as an example of this strategy in action. “I’m learning a template from APC: this template of remaining in one party and working for another. This is a script APC developed, which Wike has enhanced and grown beyond imagination. Wike is our leader in this type of politics,” he said.
On President Bola Tinubu’s leadership, Lawal did not mince words, accusing him of disappointing his closest allies by sidelining them and allowing what he described as a poorly managed government to fester. He argued that many of Tinubu’s long-time supporters have now turned away in search of real change.
“A lot of us are people whose primary aim is to replace this government with a better government that serves Nigerians better. If you want to serve this country better, you need to do so from the angle of politics, policies, governance, and leadership. You need to replace the non-performing party,” he added.
Lawal claimed that some governors who recently defected to the APC did so out of political necessity, rather than belief in the ruling party’s direction. “It’s true the governors are decamping. Why are they decamping to the APC? Because they know the president has given himself an automatic ticket, there will be no primaries, and no other candidate will be allowed to raise their head,” he said. “Most of the governors understand that this government is a government that wrote results to become what they are. So, they can write you out even in your own convention in an opposition party. So, all these governors are moving to APC to secure their next elections. However, the governors are moving, but nobody is moving with them; the people are not.”
He dismissed claims that the coalition is a vehicle for former vice president Atiku Abubakar’s political ambition. Lawal described the coalition as a non-partisan movement united by a common desire to change Nigeria’s leadership, and not tied to any one person’s presidential dream.
“The coalition is not about Atiku. I’ve attended meetings tilted towards Obi, Atiku, and Amaechi. Atiku has never spoken in all our meetings, except the last meeting, where he was asked to speak,” he said.
“Before we started the coalition, we told everybody that has political ambition to lock it down in a cupboard because the understanding is that no one person can defeat an incumbent government. Peter Obi understands that with his Obedient movement, he cannot win this election on a standalone basis. Amaechi understands, and Atiku too; we must have a coalition, get together, join forces, join ideas, and work to defeat this government.”
As 2027 inches closer, Lawal’s revelations paint a picture of a ruling party battling discontent from within, and an opposition increasingly strategic, united and emboldened by growing cracks in the establishment it aims to replace.
