Fresh insight has emerged on why former President Muhammadu Buhari did not throw his weight behind the 2023 presidential ambition of his then deputy, Professor Yemi Osinbajo.
Details contained in a new biography on Buhari indicate that the former president declined to support Osinbajo during the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primaries because he had no personal relationship with him beyond an introduction by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The book, titled “From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari” and written by Dr Charles Omole, was recently presented at the Presidential Villa. It revisits the tense build-up to the APC presidential primary and Buhari’s decision to remain publicly neutral as top contenders, including Osinbajo and Tinubu, battled for the party’s ticket.
In the biography, Buhari is quoted as saying: “I don’t know Osinbajo from anywhere, I met him only through Tinubu.” The remark is presented as a key factor behind his choice not to back Osinbajo’s bid to succeed him, despite their eight years together in office.
The account suggests that, for Buhari, personal familiarity and long-term trust weighed more heavily than the formal working relationship he had with his vice president. It also helps explain why, even as pressure mounted from different camps, he refrained from openly endorsing Osinbajo in the 2022 race.
According to the book, Buhari was also taken aback by Osinbajo’s decision to contest against Tinubu at the APC primary. Tinubu, a long-standing political ally of Buhari, eventually emerged as the party’s presidential candidate and went on to win the 2023 election.
Osinbajo is widely viewed as one of Tinubu’s political protégés, having served as Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State during Tinubu’s tenure as governor. His selection as Buhari’s running mate in 2015 was believed to have been strongly influenced by Tinubu as part of the wider political alliance that brought the APC to power.
The Omole biography revisits that history, noting that Tinubu played a significant role in shaping the Buhari–Osinbajo ticket ahead of the 2015 polls. The partnership delivered two terms in office, but Buhari’s latest comments suggest that the relationship with his vice president remained largely formal and transactional rather than personal.
By stating that he only knew Osinbajo “through Tinubu”, Buhari draws a line between institutional cooperation in government and personal loyalty. The distinction, as portrayed in the book, appears to have informed his reluctance to intervene in favour of Osinbajo when the presidential contest set mentor against protégé.
The revelation is likely to renew debate over internal dynamics within the APC during the 2022–2023 transition period, particularly the balance of influence between Buhari’s camp, Tinubu’s political machinery and other power blocs. It may also sharpen conversations about how much weight personal ties and long-standing alliances carry in Nigeria’s presidential politics, compared with formal office and performance in government.
Neither Osinbajo nor Tinubu had, at the time of this report, issued a public reaction to the specific quotes attributed to Buhari in the book.
