A Muslim President leading Christians to the Pope? It’s salt on the wound of the Muslim-Muslim ticket
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has dismissed President Bola Tinubu’s recent attendance at Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration in Rome as a mere public relations stunt rather than a diplomatic achievement. In a scathing interview on Arise Television, Lawal alleged that the visit may have been orchestrated by lobbyists to “launder” the President’s image, further criticizing it as a reinforcement of the “insult” of the Muslim-Muslim ticket to Nigeria’s Christian population.
“Going to see the Pope is just a matter of your lobby. How well you can lobby, how many friends you have out there in the Vatican that can lobby for you?” Lawal stated. “It can be arranged in advance by lobbyists, probably with the correct inducement. So, Bola Tinubu going to visit the Pope is a non-issue.”
The ex-SGF argued that Tinubu’s presence at the Vatican—where he was invited by Cardinal Pietro Parolin—was particularly offensive given Nigeria’s religious tensions, asserting that “a Muslim should not be leading eminent Christians to the Pope.”
Lawal further suggested that the President would not have attended the event if he had a Christian as Vice President.