A newly published biography of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari has revealed a clandestine scheme by senior aides to manipulate the 2022 All Progressives Congress presidential primary through fabricated presidential directives aimed at imposing then-Senate President Ahmad Lawan as the party’s candidate.
The disclosure appears in From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, written by Dr. Charles Omole and launched December 15, 2025, at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja, with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in attendance.
The book alleges that on the eve of the APC primaries, aides close to the former president issued counterfeit orders to Nigeria’s top security officials—Inspector-General of Police Usman Alkali Baba, the Director-General of the Department of State Services, and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency—directing them to deploy forces in support of Lawan’s emergence as consensus candidate.
Former IGP Alkali Baba reportedly rejected the orders immediately, consulted fellow security chiefs, and sought direct confirmation from Buhari. The late president denied issuing such instructions, asserting he had endorsed no candidate and insisting Nigerians must freely select their leader. Buhari reportedly reacted with amusement upon learning celebrations had commenced in Lawan’s neighborhood following rumors of his supposed endorsement.
“He made it clear: he had not anointed anyone. Nigerians should choose, and the security agencies must not interfere,” the book states, citing sources familiar with the events.
The biography frames the incident as demonstrating Buhari’s commitment to institutional integrity and his refusal to exploit state apparatus for political advantage. The volume also chronicles other internal conflicts during his administration, including the 2018 dismissal of DSS Director-General Lawal Daura and a domestic incident at the Presidential Villa involving gunfire.
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