New Book Reveals Why Buhari Didn’t Back Osinbajo for President: "I Don’t Know Him from Anywhere"

• A new biography had revealed that Muhammadu Buhari did not support Yemi Osinbajo’s 2023 presidential bid because Bola Tinubu was also in the race
• The book had said Buhari questioned Osinbajo’s decision to contest against Tinubu, whom he viewed as his political benefactor
• Internal party struggles and Buhari’s insistence on due process had shaped the APC primary outcome, indirectly favouring Tinubu

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A new biography of former President Muhammadu Buhari has offered fresh insight into why he did not back the 2023 presidential ambition of his then vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, linking the decision to Bola Tinubu’s presence in the race.

The disclosure appears in From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, written by Dr Charles Omole and unveiled on Monday, December 15, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The book traces Buhari’s life from his military career through his years in partisan politics and presidency, while also revisiting key moments ahead of the last general election.

Buhari’s view of Osinbajo’s ambition

According to Omole, Buhari found Osinbajo’s decision to contest troubling given his political ties to Tinubu. The author wrote that Buhari questioned how Osinbajo could pursue the presidency while standing against the man who brought him into national politics.

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Omole quoted Buhari as saying:

“I don’t know Osinbajo from anywhere, I met him only through Tinubu”.

The book explained that Tinubu’s long-standing role as a party financier and political organiser shaped Buhari’s thinking. Tinubu’s emergence, Omole noted, was widely seen as a recognition of his influence in building the All Progressives Congress.

The author added that Buhari was dissatisfied with how Osinbajo handled his ambition.

He wrote:

“Sources also said that Buhari was not impressed that Osinbajo did not ‘consult’ him or seek his advice. Instead, Osinbajo simply ‘informed’ him.”

Party dynamics and the cabal factor

The biography described intense internal struggles within the ruling party ahead of the APC primary. Omole wrote that there was an organised push by influential figures to block Tinubu’s candidacy.

On consensus politics, he stated:

“There was an anti-Tinubu consensus among the cabal. Ironically, 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.”

The book said Buhari resisted attempts to impose a preferred aspirant once he became aware of the plan. His insistence on due process, according to Omole, disrupted internal manoeuvres and altered the outcome of the primary.

Aisha Buhari’s role in Tinubu's emergence

Omole also shed light on the role played by Aisha Buhari during the election season. He wrote that her open support for Tinubu unsettled powerful figures within the presidency, though she remained undeterred.

“Aisha Buhari’s enthusiastic support for Tinubu’s candidacy challenged the powerful cabal. However, she remained unconcerned,” Omole wrote.

The author added that Tinubu later visited the former First Lady to seek her help in mobilising women for the campaign. This engagement led to the formation of the APC Women’s Campaign Council, working alongside Senator Remi Tinubu.

The book presents these episodes as central to understanding Buhari’s posture during the transition period and the political calculations that shaped the 2023 contest.

Is it true that Buhari was poisoned

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Aisha Buhari, wife of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, had finally dispelled the rumour that someone poisoned the former president while in office, leading to his 154 days of medical leave outside the country in 2017.

The ex-first lady maintained that the health challenges of her husband began with a broken routine, and his nutrition was mismanaged.