According to a new biography of the late former president Muhammadu Buhari, he opposed Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s 2023 presidential campaign since Bola Tinubu was also running.
Dr. Charles Omole’s book From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammad Buhari has the revelation.
The book, which was unveiled on Monday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, details Buhari’s life from his military service to his political career and last days.
Omole claims that Buhari was taken aback by Osinbajo’s strategy for running against Tinubu.
“I don’t know Osinbajo from anywhere, I met him only through Tinubu,” Buhari said, according to Omole.
According to the author, many saw Tinubu’s nomination as a presidential contender as a reward for serving as the All Progressives Congress’s (APC) political godfather and fundraiser.
A “anti-Tinubu consensus” among certain influential individuals, referred to as a cabal, is portrayed in the book, which also details an internal division within the ruling party.
Ironically, according to Omole, “Buhari’s strict enforcement of the rules may have indirectly aided Tinubu, as Buhari’s fastidiousness repeatedly thwarted the cabal’s plans to impose another candidate.”
Omole further disclosed that Buhari was unimpressed by Osinbajo’s failure to consult him prior to announcing his desire.
Additionally, sources claimed that Buhari was not impressed by Osinbajo’s failure to “consult” or seek his counsel. Rather, Osinbajo only “informed” him.
According to the book, “the president was quoted as having wondered how his Vice President could go against his benefactor in such an open way.”
The book also highlighted Aisha Buhari’s fervent support for Tinubu prior to the 2023 election, a position that apparently infuriated the influential cabal. But she was unfazed.
“The powerful cabal was challenged by Aisha Buhari’s fervent support for Tinubu’s candidacy. But she didn’t care,” Omole wrote.
Tinubu reportedly met Aisha after observing her zeal and asked her to help him and his wife, Sen. Remi Tinubu, organize the women’s campaign. The APC Women’s Campaign Council was established as a result of her agreement.
Regarding the larger struggle inside the APC, Omole reaffirmed that Tinubu benefited from Buhari’s insistence on an open and fair process, despite the anti-Tinubu feeling among some elites.
“There was an anti-Tinubu consensus among the cabal,” the author said.
Ironically, Tinubu may have benefited indirectly from Buhari’s stringent enforcement of the rules because the cabal’s attempts to install a different candidate were constantly foiled by Buhari’s meticulousness.
“When Buhari learned of the cabal’s plan to force a candidate into the APC primary, he opposed it and put an end to it.”
