Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has alleged that former President Muhammadu Buhari expressed reservations about the appointments made by his former deputy, Yemi Osinbajo, claiming that many of the nominees were members of the vice-president’s church.
Lawal made the claims during an interview with Symfoni TV, where he recounted what he described as disagreements within the Buhari administration over appointments and the selection of public officials.
According to him, Buhari was concerned that Osinbajo was favouring members of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), where the former vice-president serves as an ordained senior pastor.
Lawal claimed that Buhari’s concerns extended beyond the appointments themselves to the possibility that Osinbajo might adopt a similar approach to appointments associated with President Bola Tinubu if he eventually became president.
He recalled an incident involving a memo Osinbajo reportedly submitted to Buhari seeking approval for about 28 members of his take-off staff.
Lawal said the memo had allegedly remained outside the president’s official consideration for approximately three months before he obtained a photocopy from Buhari’s then Chief of Staff, the late Abba Kyari, and presented it to the president.
According to Lawal, Buhari examined the list and questioned the ethnic composition of the nominees.
“Bidi, these are all Yorubas,” Lawal quoted the late president as saying.
Lawal said he appealed to Buhari to approve the appointments, arguing that Osinbajo was new to government and needed staff to begin his work. He claimed the president eventually approved the memo following his intervention.
However, Lawal alleged that Buhari continued to pay attention to subsequent appointments made by Osinbajo, particularly those involving individuals who had held leadership positions in the vice-president’s church.
He also claimed that some appointments previously approved by Buhari were reversed by Osinbajo while the president was away receiving medical treatment.
According to Lawal, Buhari was informed of the alleged reversals and sought to have them undone but ultimately did not pursue the matter after returning to office.
Lawal suggested that Buhari may have wanted to avoid a confrontation that could embarrass his deputy or create further divisions within the administration.
The former SGF further alleged that some traditional church leaders in northern Nigeria had complained to Buhari that they were being overlooked for appointments despite being Christians and having supported his presidency.
He said Osinbajo subsequently asked him to recommend a candidate from the region’s traditional churches for an administrative position. Lawal claimed that although he recommended a former seminary lecturer, the individual was later sidelined.
Reflecting on the alleged disagreements, Lawal said he believed the pattern of appointments influenced Buhari’s perception of Osinbajo as a potential successor.
“I suspect that this excessive preference for his church members would affect Buhari,” he said.
Lawal added that Buhari’s reactions and conduct led him to believe the former president was concerned that Osinbajo, if elected president, might adopt what he described as Tinubu’s approach to political appointments.
“From his actions and his body language, I could see that he was scared that if Osinbajo became president, what Bola is doing, he will do,” Lawal said.
The allegations offer Lawal’s account of tensions over appointments within the Buhari administration. The claims, as presented in the interview, have not been independently established in the material provided.