Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal has claimed that some governors and senior members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are quietly supporting the emerging opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Lawal made the claim on Tuesday during an interview on Beyond the Headlines on TVC News, where he said many APC members, though publicly silent, are working to oust the current administration.

“Yes, there are [APC members working with the coalition], and they will speak for themselves. Some might not be brave or bold enough to do it the way I have, but there are very many, some tell me, including some governors,” Lawal said.

Lawal, who formally resigned from the APC on June 29, stated that he had long opposed the party internally, citing intimidation and suppression of dissent as key issues within its structure.

He accused the APC of lacking internal democracy and openness to advice. “Even advice is taken as anti-party,” he said. “So, many people got frustrated that you cannot talk truth to power in APC.”

According to him, former supporters of President Bola Tinubu are growing disillusioned and now prefer a political alternative.

“A lot of us are people whose primary aim is to replace this government with a better government that serves Nigerians better,” Lawal said. “If you want to serve this country better, you need to do so from the angle of politics, policies, governance, and leadership.”

He further stated that he is now applying a strategy long used by the APC: remaining in one party while working for another. He said the model was refined by former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, whom he described as “our leader in this type of politics.”

On the movement of some politicians into the APC, Lawal said many were motivated by personal political survival rather than popular support. “The governors are moving, but nobody is moving with them; the people are not,” he noted.

He claimed the current government has made internal party contests obsolete. “The president has given himself an automatic ticket. There will be no primaries, and no other candidate will be allowed to raise their head,” he said.

Lawal also rejected claims that the new coalition is led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, clarifying that it is a joint initiative involving various political actors, including Atiku, Peter Obi, and Rotimi Amaechi.

“The coalition is not about Atiku. I’ve attended meetings tilted towards Obi, Atiku, and Amaechi,” he said. “Before we started the coalition, we told everybody who has political ambition to lock it down in a cupboard.”

He emphasised the necessity of unity to defeat the incumbent, saying, “The understanding is that no one person can defeat an incumbent government.”