- Former SGF Babachir Lawal said Buhari held up a memo of about 28 names proposed for Osinbajo's office for three months
- Lawal revealed he had to obtain a photocopy of the memo and take it directly to Buhari after the late Abba Kyari allegedly refused to forward it
- Buhari reportedly ticked 26 of the 28 names with a green biro and told Lawal the appointees were 'all Yorubas' and members of the RCCG church
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir Lawal has claimed that former President Muhammadu Buhari delayed approving a memo containing roughly 28 names proposed for the office of then Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, reportedly because Buhari believed most of them were Yoruba and members of Osinbajo's church.
Lawal made the disclosure during an interview with Symfoni TV, published on YouTube on Thursday, October 15, in which he gave a detailed account of how he personally intervened to get the appointments approved.
Source: Facebook
According to Lawal, the memo sat unapproved for about three months because the late Abba Kyari, who served as chief of staff to the president at the time, had allegedly not passed it on to Buhari. The issue became a topic of discussion within the Presidential Villa until Lawal stepped in.
"I said, 'Oga, see the date my Oga sent a memo. You have not approved. What is the problem?'" Lawal recalled telling Buhari after obtaining a photocopy of the document and presenting it directly to the former president.
Lawal said Buhari read through the memo and used a green biro to mark nearly all the names on the list.
"Out of 28, I think he ticked 26 with the green biro," Lawal said, adding that Buhari told him: "BD, these are all Yorubas."
Lawal Says He Convinced Buhari to Sign Off on Osinbajo's Appointment
Lawal said he appealed to Buhari by pointing out that it was Osinbajo's first memo and that the vice-president had only recently come in from Lagos. He promised to speak with Osinbajo about the concerns, and Buhari approved the memo. Lawal then took it to the chief of staff and informed him that the president had given his authorisation.
The former SGF said this was not an isolated incident. He alleged that Buhari was particularly uneasy about appointments linked to Osinbajo's church, the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), where Osinbajo had served as a pastor. Lawal said the head of that church congregation, the person who succeeded him, and a third individual who subsequently took over all received appointments after Osinbajo became vice-president.
He also alleged that some of those appointed lacked the experience required for the roles they received, citing one individual who he claimed had been a level 12 officer at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) before being appointed to a position at the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).
Lawal said traditional Christian leaders from northern Nigeria had gone directly to Buhari to raise the same concerns, arguing that they too were Christians who had voted for him but were being overlooked.
"I suspect that this excessive preference for his church members would affect Buhari," Lawal said. "From his actions and body language, I could see that he was scared that if Osinbajo became president, what Bola is doing, Osinbajo will do."
2023: After Setting Up Politics Department, RCCG Speaks About Osinbajo
Previously, Legit.ng reported that the RCCG described Osinbajo as someone capable of changing the narrative of governance in Nigeria.
The head of the Politics and Governance department of the RCCG, Pastor Timothy Olaniyan, stated in the build-up to the 2023 general elections:
“As of today, Pastor Yemi Osinbajo is not just a pastor; he is still a child of God. There are many pastors who can decide to do rituals with a human skull and still claim to be a pastor. I am talking about a child of God.”
Source: Legit.ng