The presidency has hit back at a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, over his recent criticism of President Bola Tinubu.

Lawal, speaking on Channels Television on Monday, had said he cannot forgive President Tinubu, accusing him of arrogance, ignoring political allies, and failing to address grievances dating back to before the 2023 general election.

He said Tinubu?s conduct since assuming office had confirmed his view that the president is unwilling to recognise the contributions of those who supported his rise to power.

Lawal also said that holding public office should not fundamentally alter a person?s character or attitude.

Reacting, the Special Adviser to the President on Public Communication, Sunday Dare, in a statement on Tuesday said Lawal is only seeking political oxygen.

?Babachir Lawal, our latest political content creator cum political soothsayer, is gasping for political oxygen. In that desperate search, everything and everyone is fair game,? Dare wrote on his official X account.

?He has granted several provocative and unwarranted interviews in the past, but none matches the incoherence and desperation he displayed in his Channels Television appearance on Monday.

?That outing revealed a deeply troubled soul, slowly unraveling ? even if wildly swinging in all directions, wearing ideological inconsistency like a badge of honor.

?It was obvious that the entire performance on Channels yesterday was nothing more than a poorly scripted attempt to bait President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

?This is the same man Babachir once swore the ?wrath of God? should fall upon anyone who stood in Tinubu?s way to the presidency. thecable.ng/babachir-lawal??

Dare said today, Lawal casually flings insults at that very man, calling Tinubu names, disrespecting his office and making derogatory references.

According to Dare, that says everything about ?Babachir?s character and upbringing a fair-weather friend, an opportunist, clout chaser and clay footed political crusader.

?Babachir Lawal, please look in the mirror. Your account of events wobbles and is not the only one. Those who watch closely are only tolerating your flight of fancy for now. This indulgence will not last forever. Throw your tantrums if you must, but know when to stop short of denigrating the office and person of the President.

?Your claim that Peter Obi ?won? the 2023 elections is not only egregious but a barefaced lie. The people have spoken, the law has sanctioned it; the courts have ruled. On that matter, let all else remain silent.?

Dare said Tinubu won the 2023 count fair and square and remains Nigeria?s duly elected President until 2027.

He said Lawal?s televised outbursts do not earn him credibility, they drain it, warning him against operating at a deficit in conduct and public perception, as every rant pushes him deeper.

Dare said ?Now to your bizarre psychoanalysis: The problem with Bola Tinubu is that he thinks I offended him? .He?s full of himself? because he thinks he?s the so-called president.? Wake up. Smell the coffee. Bola Tinubu is Nigeria?s indisputable elected President.

?And in what way exactly did President Tinubu ?offend? you? Because you wanted to be vice president and President Tinubu went for a better, more qualified and more refined candidate.

Importantly, if putting Nigeria?s economy back on track is an offense in your book, then yes, that?s the other possible way Tinubu could have ?offended? you.

?Your choice of words ? ?so-called president? ? is not only uncouth but a disgraceful denigration of the very office you once served as Secretary to the Government of the Federation. Have you forgotten the dignity that comes with that office?

?Your descent into playing ethnic politics exposes your narrow mindedness and the threat your likes can pose to national unity. You also declared you ?would have been sacked? in a Tinubu administration. Instructively, you were sacked ? but under President Buhari?s government, not Tinubu?s. You claim you would have resigned if you were part of this administration.

?The truth? Whether under Tinubu, Buhari, or even your preferred Peter Obi (who still perches on the wings of mere ?desperation? or is it aspiration), your overinflated sense of self-importance would have led to the same outcome: a quick exit.

?Your arrogance is not new. Was it not you, in 2017, who on hearing of your sack as SGF scoffed, ?Who is the Presidency?? ? as though the presidency were a one-man office, and no one could remove you without your own permission? Such hubris then, such hubris now.?

Dare said Lawal?s televised monologues do not make him relevant, but they merely remind Nigerians why he is no longer in office and fast sinking into political and community oblivion. (The Guardian)

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