Babachir Lawal, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, said on Monday that he would not vote for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, in the 2023 election.
He said it would be a transfer of power from one Muslim Fulani President to another; therefore, Atiku’s ambitions wouldn’t fly.
Lawal made this statement in response to rumours that he had switched from the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to support Atiku.
He warned that if Atiku got his way, it would be a sign of one ethnic group dominating over another, adding, “I remain a Peter Obi diehard.”
Lawal, in a public declaration, reiterated his belief in Obi.
The statement read in part, “I have just seen trending news that I have abandoned Peter Obi to work for Atiku Abubakar. There is nothing far from the truth as this. I have never contemplated joining the PDP since its formation, as I view the PDP as the worst form of a collection of oligarchs and reactionaries.
“Besides, I find myself every year battling Fulani herdsmen determined to have their animals invade my farms and eat up my crops every year.
“This is aside from their determination to take over the ancestral farmlands of my kinsmen as they do everywhere in the North. All these they do in a cavalier manner while their elite kinsmen dominant in the government keep mute.
“Moreover, I view a transition of government from one Muslim Fulani President to another as the worst form of Muslim-Muslim ticket. It also represents ethnic domination by one ethnic group over others. I remain a Peter Obi diehard. Any news to the contrary is fake news.”