Fresh details have emerged on why former President Muhammadu Buhari declined to endorse his then Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, as his successor ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
According to a newly released biography, From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, authored by Dr. Charles Omole, Buhari withheld his support because he had no personal relationship with Osinbajo prior to their political alliance.
The book, launched on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa, quotes Buhari as saying he only came to know Osinbajo through President Bola Tinubu.
“I don’t know Osinbajo from anywhere, I met him only through Tinubu,” Buhari was quoted as saying in the publication.
The former president reportedly expressed surprise that Osinbajo chose to contest against Tinubu during the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary in 2022, despite their long-standing political ties.
Osinbajo is widely regarded as one of the key political protégés of Tinubu, having served as Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State during Tinubu’s tenure as governor.
The biography further notes that during the build-up to the 2015 general election, Tinubu was instrumental in recommending Osinbajo to Buhari as his running mate—a move that eventually led to Osinbajo’s eight-year tenure as Vice President.
The revelations provide fresh insight into the internal dynamics that shaped succession politics within the APC and Buhari’s decision not to back his deputy’s presidential ambition.
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