Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, explained his opposition to Nigeria’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket during a Channels TV interview from 27:28, citing concerns about emboldening Islamic extremists.
Lawal outlined the rationale behind their protest of the ticket. “One of the reasons why we protested the Muslim-Muslim ticket was because it was going to give Islamic fundamentalists, the impetus, the courage to go ahead, feeling that now is their government,” he stated. “They have a stamp of approval at the federal level.”
The former SGF warned of the cascading effects of this political decision. “So it’s now an excuse for them to go down the line. It does happen,” Lawal said.
To illustrate his point, Lawal shared a personal experience. “I gave you a story one time when a Fulani man entered my farm with his cows, and we arrested him and took him to the police station, and he was boasting that, ‘Do you think that I can come to your farm without somebody giving me permission? This is our government,'” he recounted.
Lawal emphasized the audacity of the incident given his position at the time. “I was even then a SGF, and for a Fulani man to tell me that Buhari authorized him to enter my farm was very annoying,” he said.
He explained the mindset behind such actions: “But you see, at his level of education, he thinks that because the president was a Muslim, he had the right to do whatever he wanted and get away with it.”
Drawing a direct connection to current events, Lawal concluded, “And now that is the consequence of the Muslim-Muslim ticket. It has given them the courage to go the last mile: persecuting people, intimidating people, and killing people where they refuse to be intimidated.” View, More,
Explore More News By Using The Button.