“PDP Suffers From ‘Incurable Virus,'” Says Babachir Lawal
Former SGF Delivers Scathing Diagnosis of Opposition’s Flagship Party
In a blistering assessment that has sent shockwaves through Nigeria’s political landscape, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal has declared the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) terminally ill with an “incurable virus” that renders it unfit as a vehicle for opposition coalition.
Speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show yesterday, Lawal employed medical metaphors to deliver what amounts to a political death certificate for Nigeria’s once-dominant party.
“We have all agreed that the party has an incurable virus, and antibiotics can’t cure it,” Lawal proclaimed with the clinical detachment of a pathologist. “So we can’t go into a house that is not remodified and not willing to change.”
Atiku: Coalition’s Champion or Calculating Opportunist?
In what appeared to be a carefully calibrated message, Lawal simultaneously praised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as “one of the most committed” figures driving the opposition coalition efforts, while subtly leaving open questions about the veteran politician’s ultimate motives.
“Atiku is entitled to his political ambition like every other Nigerian,” Lawal noted, before adding the tellingly ambiguous statement: “It’s not for me to decide which platform Atiku will contest, it’s for him and his inner circle to decide.”
The remarks come just one day after the PDP Senate Caucus publicly rebuked Atiku’s coalition-building efforts, insisting such initiatives must be party-driven rather than championed by individuals suggesting growing friction between Atiku and PDP power brokers.
Lawal’s characterization of Atiku as deeply involved in coalition discussions “I have run into Atiku severally… he has been an active participant” appears designed to position the former vice president as a coalition insider rather than a PDP loyalist, potentially widening the growing rift within the opposition party.
Technical Committee’s Damning Verdict
Perhaps most revealing was Lawal’s disclosure of a “technical committee of experts” analyzing potential political platforms for the coalition to adopt and their apparent rejection of the PDP.
This suggests a level of formalization to the coalition efforts that goes beyond mere political conversations, with the PDP having failed what amounts to a viability assessment despite being Nigeria’s largest opposition party.
The unsparing diagnosis comes as the PDP continues to struggle with internal disputes following consecutive presidential election defeats, most recently to President Bola Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress in 2023.
The Religious Card: Defiance or Deflection?
In a striking pivot, Lawal whose controversial removal as SGF in 2017 followed allegations of financial impropriety concluded his interview by embracing accusations of religious bigotry that have dogged him throughout his political career.
“If you call me a Christian religious bigot, I’m very happy because it’s a compliment,” declared Lawal, citing his theological education and pastoral training as credentials. “It means that my lifestyle conveys that I’m a Christian.”
This defiant repositioning of a potentially damaging political label as a badge of honor suggests Lawal may be eyeing a specific demographic in whatever new political configuration emerges from the coalition talks.
Between the Lines
What remains unaddressed in Lawal’s commentary is precisely what “virus” has infected the PDP—whether ideological inconsistency, leadership failures, corruption allegations, or factional infighting.
As coalition talks continue behind closed doors, the PDP finds itself in the unprecedented position of fighting not just the ruling APC, but also a potential new opposition force that views it as politically contaminated.
For a party that once dominated Nigeria’s political landscape for 16 uninterrupted years, Lawal’s diagnosis represents perhaps the most existential challenge yet to its continued relevance in Nigeria’s evolving political ecosystem.
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“PDP Suffers From ‘Incurable Virus,'” Says Babachir Lawal