A former presidential adviser, Babafemi Ojudu, has disputed claims that the late former President Muhammadu Buhari did not support the presidential ambition of ex–Vice President Yemi Osinbajo ahead of the 2023 general election.
Ojudu was reacting to assertions made by Charles Omole, author of From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, unveiled at the State House on Monday. In the book, Omole claimed that Buhari did not back Osinbajo’s presidential bid, allegedly because President Bola Tinubu was also contesting the election.
According to Omole, Buhari reportedly found it “strange” that Osinbajo would contest against Tinubu, whom he described as the former vice president’s political benefactor.
The author further quoted sources as saying Buhari remarked, “I don’t know Osinbajo from anywhere; I met him only through Tinubu,” and was displeased that Osinbajo did not consult him before joining the race.
However, in a statement issued on Thursday, Ojudu, who served as Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters in the Office of the Vice President between 2016 and 2022, said the claims were false and misleading.
He insisted that Osinbajo discussed his presidential ambition directly with Buhari on no fewer than four occasions and received the former president’s encouragement each time.
“The matter of whether Vice President Osinbajo should run for President was discussed directly and personally between him and President Muhammadu Buhari on no fewer than four separate occasions,” Ojudu said.
He added that Buhari never advised Osinbajo to step aside for any aspirant, including Tinubu, nor did he express reservations about the former vice president’s ambition.
“At no time — explicitly or implicitly — did President Buhari suggest that Professor Osinbajo should refrain from contesting or subordinate his ambition to any other aspirant,” Ojudu said.
According to him, Buhari initially advised Osinbajo to carefully assess the prospects of his bid and assured him of support, regardless of the decision he took. By their third discussion, Ojudu said Buhari was even more explicit in his endorsement.
“In his considered judgment, he stated plainly that Professor Osinbajo was by far the best person for the job,” he added.
Ojudu argued that Osinbajo could not have realistically pursued a presidential ambition without Buhari’s backing, given their working relationship.
He also criticised Omole’s account, saying anyone seeking to document Buhari’s presidency must consult key actors involved.
“To embark on such a project without seeking their account is not serious scholarship or history. It is advocacy masquerading as biography,” Ojudu said, warning against what he described as attempts to distort history through hearsay and one-sided narratives.
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