Babachir Lawal Alleges Tinubu Spent Over ₦2 Billion On Obama’s Former Consultants

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has alleged that President Bola Tinubu spent more than ₦2 billion to engage political consultants associated with former United States President Barack Obama during the 2015 election campaign.

Lawal made the claim in an interview with Symfoni TV, released on Saturday, while discussing Tinubu’s role in the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign that led to the election of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to Lawal, Tinubu played a central role in mobilising financial resources for the APC’s presidential campaign and also personally funded campaign activities for then-vice presidential candidate Yemi Osinbajo.

He explained that Osinbajo lacked the financial capacity to independently support his campaign, prompting Tinubu to cover much of the associated costs.

“Through him (Tinubu), we were able to raise enough money to prosecute the campaign,” Lawal said.

He further claimed that Tinubu financed Osinbajo’s campaign separately because the former vice president’s activities operated somewhat independently of the main APC campaign.

Lawal noted that Osinbajo, a pastor, focused much of his campaign on engaging Christian communities and ethnic groups that were reportedly uncertain about Buhari’s candidacy.

According to him, Tinubu also brought in experienced political consultants from the United States to strengthen the APC’s campaign strategy.

“I don’t know their names, but I knew they were people who had worked with Obama. They came to Nigeria and completely transformed our campaign. From what I knew, Tinubu paid them more than ₦2 billion, in dollar equivalent,” he alleged.

The former SGF also claimed that Tinubu routinely financed major campaign expenses from his personal resources instead of relying on funds already raised by the campaign organisation.

Lawal said the APC leader often settled significant bills directly whenever they arose, regardless of the amount involved.

“One thing about Bola Tinubu is that whenever there was a need for a major expenditure, he didn’t draw from the campaign purse. He paid from his own pocket. I witnessed these things firsthand, and that is why I can speak about them,” he added.