Former SGF slams Tinubu over continued detention of Emefiele, Bawa and attempts to gag press freedom

 

In a scathing critique, Babachir Lawal, the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), has voiced his disapproval of President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to curtail press freedom and the continued detention of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, and former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa.

Lawal, in a statement on Wednesday, in response to the APC Spokesman, Felix Morka, who tackled him on his earlier statement that Peter Obi and not Tinubu won the 2023 presidential election, said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had taken a different turn, unlike when it was founded in 2013/2014.

According to the former SGF, aside from his concern that the APC has evolved into an Islamic-leaning party, he highlighted a perceived restriction on Nigerians’ freedom of expression. Lawal expressed strong objections to the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission’s warnings to journalists in President Tinubu’s tenure, deeming such actions inappropriate and intolerable.

He lamented, “When we established the APC in the early days of 2013/2014, our vision was that it would be a national party, inclusive of all the diverse socio-political and religious factions within the nation. During that period, great care was taken not to exclude any religious group or tribal identity when forming the party’s membership and leadership.”

Lawal continued, “Our aim was to create a party that would embrace all Nigerians. It was this core principle that guided the decision to ensure that the National Chairman and Secretary hailed from different religious backgrounds, tribes, or regions.”

Regrettably, Lawal asserted that the APC had undergone a transformation, resulting in a perception that it now gravitates toward an Islamic political identity. He observed that a substantial portion of the National Working Committee (NWC) is comprised of Muslims, with some hailing from the northern regions. In his view, a party name change might be the next logical step, given the appointment of Kadmul Islam as the national chairman and a Muslim as the national secretary.

Lawal’s vision for Nigeria includes a nation that is all-encompassing, where even sycophants can actively engage, and every individual is free to pursue their aspirations in a peaceful pursuit of prosperity and a better life. He emphasizes the importance of safeguarding freedom of speech for all citizens and decries any encroachments on this essential democratic right.

Lawal finds it contradictory that if Bola Tinubu indeed stood against Abacha in favor of democracy and free speech, it is troubling that the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission threatens journalists during his tenure.

He further expressed his dismay over the protracted detentions of the EFCC chairman and the CBN governor without trial, as well as the misuse of political parties to intimidate and harass citizens who express their views in the public domain. Lawal empathizes with the collective national distress and humiliation stemming from the continuous revelations concerning the true nature of the “President” and the growing food insecurity in the country, as well as the deteriorating security conditions in several states.