A newly released biography of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari has unveiled a dramatic attempt by influential aides to influence the 2022 All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primaries through forged presidential directives.
The revelation centers on a purported scheme to install former Senate President Ahmad Lawan as the APC’s consensus candidate.
According to ‘From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari’, authored by Dr. Charles Omole and launched yesterday at the Presidential Villa, aides close to Buhari allegedly drafted counterfeit orders targeting top security officials.
The forged directives were reportedly sent to the former Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).
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According to the book, on the eve of the APC primaries, aides close to Buhari allegedly issued “counterfeit orders to top security chiefs, including the Inspector-General of Police (Usman Alkali Baba), the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).
“The forged directives instructed the deployment of security forces to ensure Lawan’s emergence as the consensus candidate.”
However, former IGP Alkali Baba reportedly rejected the orders outright.
He consulted with his counterparts and personally verified the directives with Buhari. The book recounts that the late president “denied issuing any such instructions, stating he had no preferred candidate and emphasizing that Nigerians should freely choose their leader.”
Sources cited in the biography describe Buhari’s reaction upon learning that Lawan’s supporters had already begun celebrating what they believed was his endorsement.
“He laughed and made it clear: he had not anointed anyone. Nigerians should choose, and the security agencies must not interfere,” the book quotes.
