News
Tinubu didn’t make Buhari President – ex-SGF
Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) in the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, on Wednesday flatly dismissed the belief that the former Military Head of State, became President by riding on the back of Bola Tinubu, his successor.
Tinubu, had actually in 2022 during a visit to Ogun State delegates, while campaigning for the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to contest the presidency in described how Buhari failed on three previous attempts until he came into the picture and helped him, at the occasion where he made his now famous emilokan speech.
In that famous speech, Tinubu had told his audience: Tinubu had during a June 2022 visit to Ogun State to canvass for the support of party stakeholders ahead of the APC’s special presidential convention, spoke of his unparalleled contributions to making Buhari president.
At the event where Tinubu famously declared that it was his turn to administer the country, he had unequivocally declared that he made Muhammadu Buhari president, nominated Professor Yemi Osinbajo as his running mate and got Mr Dapo Abiodun elected as Governor of Ogun State.
Explaining that he was making the revelations for the first time because there was a need for him to talk, Tinubu had said; “If not for me talking to you today, Buhari would not have been president. It has been over 25 years since I have been serving them. The one sitting behind me, Dapo Abiodun, could not have become the governor without me.
“Since the time we started with the Action Congress AC, Action Congress of Nigeria ACN and now, the All Progressives Congress APC, I have wanted to contest for president since those times.
“This is me telling you, between my life and God Almighty, Buhari called me to be his vice president. He said because the first time he contested, he picked Okadigbo, flamboyant, Catholic, but Nigerians didn’t vote for him.
“The second time, he picked another Igbo, Ume Ezeoke, Nigerians didn’t vote for him; that if he goes to bring the Pope to run as his vice, Nigerians won’t vote for him, but you, Bola Tinubu, you have six governors, you have never lost an election before, come and be my vice.
“He knew all the calculations then favoured us, that was why he wanted me as his vice, but I told him to let us build the party first. And when we finished building the party, after we brought in people from the PDP, Saraki now saw that those from the PDP will not get anything if Buhari, a Muslim, becomes the president and me, also a Muslim, becomes his vice, he won’t get the senate president and the senate president cannot also be a Muslim, that was how they started the campaign of calumny against me.
“And I told them that I have a candidate who is a Christian that I can nominate so that the party will not break, that was how I nominated Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. I surrendered my right to him (Osinbajo).
“I was asked to submit three names: Yemi Cardoso, Wale Edun, and Yemi Osinbajo, but I said that if I submitted three names, it is like opening your door for a thief. They may add the fourth name and choose that one. So, I insisted on only one name. You are hearing this thing from me for the first time.
“It is my time. I am educated, I am experienced. I have been serving you for a long time. Bring me the presidency, it is my turn. When Atiku was being flogged out of the PDP by Obasanjo, he ran to me for help, I got the ticket for him. Nuhu Ribadu came to me and I backed him.
“It has been over 25 years now that I have been serving them. This one sitting behind me, Dapo, can he say he can be the governor without me? We were together at the MKO Abiola Stadium, he was intimidated, they didn’t want to give him the party’s flag. I was the one who handed the flag to him. He knows that he cannot be the governor without the help of God and my support.
“If not for me who stood behind Buhari, he wouldn’t have become the president. He tried the first time, he failed, the second time, he failed, the third time, he failed. He even wept on national television and vowed never to contest again but I went to meet him in Kaduna and told him he will run again; I will stand by you and you will win, but you must not joke with Yorubas and he agreed.
“Since he became the president, I have never got ministerial slots, I didn’t collect any contract, I have never begged for anything from him, it is the turn of Yoruba; it is my turn. Please, stand by me, you delegates who are here from Ogun State, you shall not become delicates. Don’t be carried away by ‘he is our son.’”
But at a book launch in Abuja, on Wednesday, Mustapha, debunked the narrative, saying that what Tinubu and others brought to the table towards the Buhari presidency in 2015, was quite minimal to make the claim of making him President.
At the launch of the book: According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesperson’s Experience, written by Garba Shehu, the former SGF who said he did not want to stir any controversy, hinged his argument on the fact that the Tinubu and other camps in the APC contributed only a paltry 3.5million to the already over 12 million existing votes the former President, traditional had in his kitty over the years.
It was also on a day Tinubu, who admonished that Nigeria must never get tired of documenting its journey, but must learn from its past with honesty, stressed that nation-building must be seen as a relay, while promising to consolidate on the reform-oriented path of his predecessor.
“As a nation, we must never get tired of documenting our journey. If we must move forward purposefully, we must learn from the past with honesty. Books like this play a vital role in that learning process. They preserve memory, illuminate truth and sharpen our collective understanding of nationhood.
“Nation-building is a relay. The efforts of one administration lay the foundation for the next. In this regard, I acknowledge the efforts of my predecessor, President Buhari, and assure all Nigerians that the reform-oriented path he initiated will be consolidated and strengthened under this administration. Our Renewed Hope Agenda is inspired by the desire to build a resilient, just and inclusive Nigeria – a nation that delivers dividends of democracy to all its citizens”, the President said.
Mustapha, while delivering a lecture titled: President Buhari’s Contribution to National Development at the event,” recalled how in early 2013, as the leader of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change CPC, Buhari had formally requested and supported the creation of a CPC merger committee, part of a broader coalition-building process which brought together the Action Congress of Nigeria ACN, All Nigeria Peoples Party ANPP, All Progressives Grand Alliance APGA faction, and elements of the ruling party through the breakaway “new PDP” group.
His words: “We also had our own transition Merger Committee, the ANPP, and a fraction of others. And elements of the ruling party, through the breakaway New-PDP group, his endorsement and participation, along with other party leaders such as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, who was the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the ANPP lent credence, credibility, and direction to the merger, helping to unify disparate party factions under the banner of the All Progressives Congress APC.
“That coalition-building paved the way for the first democratic defeat of an incumbent ruling party in Nigeria’s history. President Buhari’s integrity, national stature and disciplined messaging were central to that breakthrough.
“Not only that, for us in the ACN, I do not intend to stir any controversy, but I will make bold to state this—that the merger in 2013 was midwife to present a Buhari or create a Buhari Presidency because we looked at the statistics of the votes that were coming to the table. In the 2003 election, it was the Obasanjo/Buhari presidential contest where Buhari recorded 2.7 million votes. In the next election, he got 12.7 million votes. In 2007, it came to 6.6 million, it went back to 12.2 million in 2011.
“When we were conceptualising the merger, what would give us a head-start and obviously, it was at the back of our consciousness that the merger with the CPC, though it had only one state, the ACN had six states, ANPP three states, and when you sum up the total votes that gave us the presidency in 2015, the aggregate of the total votes was 15.4 million. So, basically, what we brought to the table after the merger outside the Buhari 12.5 million votes was three million”.
Chairman of the occasion and former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (retd) noted that Buhari did his best to resolve Nigeria’s complex challenges, and urged Nigerians not to allow insurgents threaten the country’s indivisibility.
“During his eight-year Presidency, Buhari tried his best to contend with the overwhelming problems, one of such is the security situation in Nigeria. The Officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces and the other security Agencies must be commended for their efforts and sacrifices. Just this past Sunday, I was at Kaduna for the 162nd Army Day Celebration where the Chief of Army Staff, on behalf of the Armed Forces, reaffirmed their commitment to fight and defend the sovereignty of our nation.
“As Nigerians, we must wholeheartedly support the Armed Forces as they risk their lives to keep us alive. We must not allow insurgency or insecurity to threaten the corporate existence of our nation.
“I know General Buhari to be a staunch believer of the Nigerian project. I know him as a person not inclined to worldly or materialistic overtures. No matter the misconceptions about General Buhari, you cannot take away the fact that he has the firm interest of Nigeria at heart. I also know that he will do everything to keep his integrity intact.
“If the truth must be told, Gen. Buhari is a man of austere lifestyle. I was therefore not surprised when the author (at page 114) of the book narrated an incident that rightly depicted the General Buhari that I know. According to Garba Shehu, shortly after being sworn in as President and Commander in Chief, General Buhari was informed of the need to increase the budget for catering services in the Villa. He then asked what the existing budget was. When they told him it was N10 million for the State House including the Vice President, Guest houses and banquets in honour of visiting leaders, he screamed and asked that even the N10 million be drastically reduced”, he added.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF, Senator George Akume who represented President Bola Tinubu, described the event as a significant national moment to reflect on the leadership journey of his predecessor “and one of Nigeria’s most consequential leaders, former President Muhammadu Buhari, whose time in office shaped the direction of our country in profound ways”.
According to him, the author has put forward a chronicle that provides context and clarity to the policy directions, governing principles and leadership philosophy of a man whose disciplined and unwavering sense of duty left a significant imprint on the nation’s governance architecture.
“Former President Muhammadu Buhari is a man whose leadership stood on the pillars of integrity, accountability, prudence as well as patriotism. Under his stewardship, Nigeria witnessed a decisive push to confront insecurity, a serious commitment to infrastructure renewal, a renewed focus on self-reliance and a clear effort to sanitize the public sector. These themes resonate strongly in this book and must be appreciated in their full historic dimensions.
“From the restoration of fiscal discipline to the diversification of the economy, from the development of critical national infrastructure to the transformation of our rail and road networks, and from the expansion of social investment programmes to the repositioning of the agricultural sector, President Buhari’s era reflected an earnest attempt to reposition Nigeria for future resilience.
“In foreign policy, he was deliberate and consistent. Nigeria’s voice remained steady and respected within the African Union and the international community. Our engagements with global partners were guided by a principled foreign policy doctrine that upheld national interest, regional stability and non-alignment.
“At this juncture, it is also worth commending President Buhari’s humility and restraint in the exercise of Presidential power – hallmarks of democratic maturity. In the face of provocation, he remained calm. In moments of uncertainty, he held steady. His was a Presidency of discipline and quiet strength”, he added.
Shehu, author of the book, who noted that Buhari suffered “the perception challenge” and “the tyranny of high expectations,” added that journalists possess enormous powers in the sense that they determined which stories to use or discard, urging them to utilise it responsibly.
Seriake Dickson, National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), on Wednesday showcased Peter Obi, its presidential candidate in the 2027 election, but gave a proviso – his importance would not be at the expense of the party.
A guest on Prime Time, a public affairs programme on ARISE NEWS Television, the former Governor of Bayelsa State, now Senator representing West at the National Assembly, maintained that the belief in some quarters that Obi’s entrance into the party was a favour was completely misplaced.
Instead, he argued that the opposite was the case, as it was the party that was doing its candidates a favour by giving them the opportunity to contest elective positions on its platform in the 2027 elections, a gesture that ought to be returned.
Hear him: “Don’t make it look like anyone is doing NDC a favour. No one is. Rather, the NDC and I and my colleagues are doing people a favour by granting our platform. If you are genuinely supporting Peter Obi and you are disparaging me, the leader, or the platform itself. That is nonsensical.”
Stressing that NDC had demonstrated confidence in Obi by adopting Obi as its sole presidential candidate and selecting a vice-presidential candidate without internal disputes, he said it was enough to earn its leadership the gratitude it deserved.
He added: “Nobody paid shishi. So, if a presidential candidate didn’t pay shishi to be made the sole presidential candidate and sole vice-presidential candidate, that same party cannot be the one saying that small people are underprivileged.
“I could have run. There’s no one more qualified than me. There’s no one more qualified than me to run for presidential candidate. None. There is no crisis within the NDC. Peter Obi is a cherished member of our party. On our own, we have made him a presidential candidate. Sole presidential candidate. And that counts for something. We are working well together. There’s no crisis.”
Invoking its zero tolerance on issues of security breaches, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), has clamped down on aircraft and crew of the privately operated jet that landed on a roadway in the Ogwashi-Uku area near Asaba, Delta state.
Even with regulatory body for airline operations in Nigeria informed that no casualties were recorded in the incident, it still went for its sanctions in line with its sworn position of maintaining maximum safety at every point.
In a statement on Wednesday, Michael Achimugu, its spokesman said preliminary reports indicated that the aircraft conducted a missed approach while attempting to land at Asaba airport at about 7:43am.
Achimugu: Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, said: “Reports received from personnel at the scene indicate that all occupants safely exited the aircraft and were transported to Asaba by road,” Achimugu said. The aircraft had four (4) crew members on board. At this time, no injuries to passengers or crew have been reported.
“Preliminary information available to the authority indicated that the aircraft later departed the location and returned to Lagos without obtaining the required regulatory approval. Air traffic control was informed only after the aircraft had become airborne.”
Stressing that the action constitutes a violation of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs) and is currently under investigation by the authority, he said the NCAA immediately grounded the aircraft upon its arrival in Lagos pending the outcome of investigations.
He added: “The flight crew have been placed under regulatory review while the NCAA conducts further inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the occurrence and the subsequent unauthorised departure of the aircraft.
“The NCAA has formally notified the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) of the occurrence and is coordinating with relevant aviation stakeholders, including the operator and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.”
Stating that the NCAA immediately suspended the operator’s permit for non-commercial flight (PNCF), he added that the authority would review all operational, airworthiness, maintenance and flight-related records as part of its statutory responsibilities and take further enforcement action in accordance with applicable aviation regulations.
Achimugu said the NCAA remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of aviation safety, security, and regulatory compliance within the Nigerian aviation sector.
Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), on Wednesday, swore to the integrity of the process that led to his picking the party’s ticket, saying it remained untainted and consistent with the wills of the members.
Against the backdrop of the insistence of Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), that he stole the ticket by corrupting the process, Atiku, Vice President between 1999 and 2007, pooh-poohed the claim.
Before the former SGF Rotimi Amaechi, former Governor of Rivers State and Minister of Transportation as well as Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, former Chairman of Nigeria Economic Summit Group, both candidates in the contest for the ADC ticket, had rejected the process as flawed, even before the outcome.
Lawal, who had earlier announced his resignation from the ADC a fortnight ago and made sundry allegations of gaming the system against Atiku, had doubled down on Monday, while appearing on Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television, claiming he personally monitored the exercise and had evidence that the primary was rigged.
Hear him: “Don’t forget I was the National Vice Chairman (North-East). I was in the field during the exercise, so I have evidence. Atiku’s people are the ones trying to deny what they did. We are all human beings. We know what they did. I knew the primary was rigged at the point it was being done and the results declared.”
Regardless that neither Amaechi nor Hayatu-Deen had recanted their original position Atiku, insisted that nothing was amiss, adding that his opponents actually won in the areas of their individual popularity and stronghold.
Conveying his position through Phrank Shaibu, his spokesman, who appeared as a guest on Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television, the former VP said: “Anybody who claims rigging or irregularity in the last election should check the places and locations they won. Where are the states that Rotimi Amaechi won? If you check the figures and the margins he got there, you will know that those are his strongholds. It was not a fraudulent process.
Maintaining that the burden of proving any fraud rested on the former SGF Shaibu, Shaibu depicted his boss as the most popular among the contestants, arguing that the outcome of the event should not be surprising to anybody.
He said of the ex-SGF: “Babachir reminds me of a baby who is yanked off her mother’s breast while suckling. It is like a deprived suckling; definitely the baby will throw tantrums. He admitted on your show that his preferred candidate was Hayatu-Deen. He worked for him.”
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