Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of nepotism, claiming that top positions and decision-making are concentrated among members of the president’s Yoruba ethnic group.
Speaking on Channels Television, Lawal alleged that other political blocs have been sidelined and that some government meetings are conducted entirely in Yoruba, even when non-Yoruba officials are present.
“I cannot go to a meeting where 99 percent of the participants are Yorubas. Sometimes they finish the meeting in their language while I am sitting there,” he said.
Lawal said he had warned Tinubu’s associates before the 2023 election that alienating northern voters would have political consequences, referencing a campaign rally in Ogun State where Tinubu allegedly made remarks viewed as dismissive toward northerners.
“The problem is that when you support them and they win, they behave as if they have conquered you. They will not count your support,” he said, adding that many non-Yoruba allies now feel excluded from influence.
He accused the administration of appointing and assigning responsibilities in a way that undermines Nigeria’s ethnic diversity, warning: “No one group can run the government alone without consequences.”
Lawal linked his criticism to electoral trends, citing the APC’s shock loss of Lagos State to Peter Obi in the 2023 presidential election and alleging that voter suppression was later used to weaken opposition strongholds.
Expressing relief at not being part of Tinubu’s cabinet, he said: “If I were in this government, I probably would have been sacked a long time ago, or even killed.”
While the presidency has repeatedly denied claims of ethnic bias, insisting appointments are based on merit, Lawal said his stance was guided by principle rather than personal grievance. “They were warned. Now everyone can see what I was talking about,” he said.
