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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.
Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Governor of Oyo State, on Thursday, finally threw his hats into the ring by declaring his intention to run for president in 2027, with a message – history beckons.
The governor, whose ambition has been a matter of speculations for months now and who had teamed up with forces angling to force President Bola Tinubu, out of power, told a teeming crowd in Ibadan on Thursday that time had come to reset Nigeria.
At a mega-rally to announce the alliance between the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and the Allied Peoples’ Movement, (APM), Makinde, expressed worry over the dwindling fortunes of Nigerians, vowing to engage Nigerians to end the drift.
Hear him: “Without a multi-party system, there is no democracy. Where is our multi-party? Where do we go from here? We have been pushed to the wall.
“They calculated and self-opposition cannot unite but I am here to say that the opposition is the everyday Nigerian. This is the time for all us to ensure Nigeria works for us. This is the time to confront it fears. It is time to engage as citizens and not spectators.
“For the opposition political parties, this is the time to unite and work in unity and give our nation the much reset it needs. The time to reset Nigeria is now. Ibadan is the city of warriors. The first grand alliance is formed. The PDP and APM is formed. This handshake will allow us to field candidates from presidency to state Assembly. And so, I declare my candidacy for office of the president of Nigeria.”
Eyo Ekpe, a professor of cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), on Wednesday, gave a detailed account on how operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) manhandled him on Monday.
He told reporters that he was at sea on why he should fall victim to the assault against his person and eventually arrested given that was not right person directly involved in the information the agency sought.
Some operatives of the EFCC who invaded the hospital, had whisked Ekpe away after firing teargas to scare away the workers, patients and visitors to the hospital, following what appeared like a fracas the ensued over what it claimed was a routine duty in the facility.
Ekpe, Deputy Chairman of the hospital’s Medical Advisory Committee (MAC), described how an operative had first entered his office to make inquiries on why the hospital was yet to give a response to an EFCC inquiry over a medical report linked to a suspect facing trial.
He detailed how he briefed the operative that the said response was being prepared and even went ahead to show him the draft of a letter in that regard, which needed to go through the gamut of official endorsement before being released.
Hear him: “The head of that internal medicine department looked at the report and also discovered that the name of the doctor that signed the report is not a member of staff of that department.
“I had prepared prepared a response to the EFCC on Monday, May 11, 2026, based on the findings. When the EFCC operative visited my office the next morning to collect the document, I told him that the response was ready in draft. I even showed him the draft, but told him that the document still needed approval from the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital before it could be officially signed and released.
“He pretended to have accepted that. He left, but later later returned with another armed operative and informed me that I was under arrest. I asked him why. I was not the one that issued the medical report. My name is not on the medical report. The report was not issued from my unit.
“But he said I would get the answer when I get to their office. I then asked him to at least wait for my staff member who I sent on an errand before joining them. But they refused.
“They started pushing me. They dragged me out of the office. Then I began to cry while they were dragging me. They had warned me not to speak. They had taken my phone. My cry as they were dragging me, attracted the workers to the scene, who enquired what was going on, but because they ordered me not to speak, I couldn’t say anything. They had their guns.
The members of staff of the hospital initially blocked them from taking me away. They then made a call. After that I saw many masked and armed men came violently, broke the protector, threatening the people that were around and people ran away.
“They picked some staff that were still by me. they dragged me and other staff, five of us into their van downstairs. By that time they discovered that the gate of the hospital were locked. So, they drove towards the gate and packed and the commotion continued. We were inside the van.
“I was so emotionally and psychologically traumatised that I couldn’t even look out of the vehicle to see what was happening outside. But I know that teargas and live bullets were shot. That’s all I can say for now.”
Joyce Abdulmalik, of the Federal High Court, Abuja, heard on Wednesday, how Zenith Bank raised alarm over the huge transaction in one of its branches by Abubakar Malami, former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (AGF-MoJ).
The bank said it immediately filed a Suspicious Transaction Report (STR) in respect to the transactions, during its appearance in the ongoing trial of Malami, his wife, and son over allegation of massive looting of funds belonging to the Federal Government during his tenure.
Mashelia Bata, a compliance officer with the bank, who appeared as witness in the case, where Malami, et al, are facing a 16-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering to the tune of N8.7 billion, to which they pleaded not guilty, gave the testimony while being questioned on the bank’s roles in the matter.
Details of the testimony conveyed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), stated how the compliance officer who was cross-examined by Adebayo Adedeji, lawyer to the defendants admitted that the deposits in the account statements complied with the guidelines of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Arguments had stretched when Adedeji, opposed Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), lawyer to the EFCC, who had asked the witness to explain the meaning of a suspicious transaction report, stressing that there was no ambiguity in the term.
However, Okutepa, in response, maintained that section 215(3) of the Evidence Act did not preclude him from re-examining the witness while urging the court to allow the question for proper explanation.
After Abdulmalik, agreed and overruled Adedeji, the witness told the court that banks were required to alert the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) about fund deposits coming in a repetitive pattern, adding: “Any deposition of funds seen in a pattern or repetitive, you must escalate it to the NFIU.”
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