The Chief of Staff to the Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Yakubu Dati, has accused former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), David Babachir Lawal, of trying to isolate Christians in northern Nigeria from playing significant roles in the mainstream politics of Nigeria.
Dati said Lawal has no mandate to speak on behalf of northern Christians, insisting that the former SGF has no clout even in his own local government area.
According to him, “The last time I checked, Babachir Lawal does not have the mandate to speak on behalf of northern Christians, because he was never elected to lead any such group and does not command the respect of the average northern Christians. Even in his native Hong local government area, Lawal does not have a voice, as his voice thins out when other respected personalities from the area like the current SGF, Boss Mustapha, speak.
“But more profoundly is the fact that Babachir Lawal talks as one who does not have a sense of history; hence, is trying to carve out a region out of Nigeria to make them a target of derision and scorn. Without anybody sending him, Lawal is trying to damage the reputation of northern Christians, who have all along been accommodating and tolerant of other Nigerians”.
Dati observed that Northern Christians in the States of Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Bauchi, Kano, Kebbi, Sokoto, Kaduna, Plateau, Taraba Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Kwara, etc are not known to be hostile, self-serving or epitomise bigotry as Lawal is trying to portray them, noting that the northern Christians have worked peacefully and harmoniously with other Nigerians and that while they demand equity and fairness in all affairs, they do not stake their integrity on the altar of tokenism of political office.
He also said that Nigeria is made up of several blocs, such that it is almost impossible to include all in every dispensation and every Nigerian understands that and has in the past conceded for the nation to move forward, adding that several administrations in the past, both civilian and military, have made appointments in ways peculiar to that era.
“The northern Christians have taken the front seats in some administrations and played other roles in others and other sections of the country have understood the exigencies of such era and have been cooperative”, he stated.
