OBJ Told Me To Get Out Of His House & I Refused; He Thought I Was There To Canvass For Tinubu -Lawal

According to former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, he once visited former President Olusegun Obasanjo to persuade him to support the idea of rotating Nigeria’s presidency to the southern part of the country.

Lawal made the disclosure during an interview with Symfoni TV, where he recalled a disagreement that reportedly occurred during his meeting with Obasanjo. According to him, the purpose of his visit was to discuss power rotation and encourage the former president to support the return of the presidency to the South.

However, Lawal said Obasanjo initially became angry because he misunderstood his intention. He explained that the former president believed he had come to seek his support for the presidential ambition of Bola Tinubu.

Lawal clarified that Tinubu’s candidacy was not the reason for his visit. He said the discussion was specifically focused on the broader principle of rotating political power to the southern region rather than promoting an individual candidate.

The former SGF recalled that the disagreement became heated, with Obasanjo reportedly asking him to leave his residence. Lawal, however, said he refused to leave, and the two eventually resolved their differences and continued their discussion.

According to Lawal, the conversation subsequently took a different direction after Obasanjo understood the purpose of his visit. He said the former president began mentioning possible southern candidates who could potentially be considered for the presidency.

Lawal described the encounter as an indication of how strongly Obasanjo initially reacted because he believed the discussion was intended to advance Tinubu’s political ambition.

Recounting the incident, Lawal said: “We quarreled and you know how Baba is, he can rant. He told me to get out of his house and I refused to go and eventually we settled. Then he started suggesting names which I didn’t know. He was very angry initially because he thought I was there to canvass for Bola”

Lawal’s account places the conversation within the broader political debate over zoning and power rotation in Nigeria, particularly discussions about whether presidential power should move between the northern and southern regions.

His recollection also highlights the political sensitivities surrounding such discussions, as he distinguished his reported advocacy for southern power rotation from support for any particular presidential aspirant.

You can watch the video from 32:25 to 32:48

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