December 18, 2025
Former presidential adviser Babafemi Ojudu has dismissed claims in a new biography of Muhammadu Buhari that the former president did not support Yemi Osinbajo’s presidential ambition ahead of the 2023 election.
Ojudu was reacting to assertions made by Charles Omole in the book From soldier to statesman, the legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, which suggested that Buhari was uncomfortable with Osinbajo contesting the presidency against Bola Tinubu and therefore withheld his support.
According to Ojudu, the account presented in the book is inaccurate and does not reflect what transpired between Buhari and Osinbajo during the period leading up to the All Progressives Congress presidential primaries.
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He stated that Osinbajo held several private meetings with Buhari in which he openly discussed his intention to run for president and received encouragement rather than opposition.
Ojudu said Buhari never told Osinbajo not to contest and never directed him to step aside for any other aspirant, insisting that the former president expressed confidence in Osinbajo’s capacity and suitability for leadership.
He added that during one of the meetings, Buhari reportedly told Osinbajo that he was well qualified for the presidency and should make his decision based on conviction rather than political pressure.
Ojudu criticised the biography for relying on second hand narratives and excluding testimonies from individuals who were directly involved in the discussions it sought to document.
He argued that historical records of sensitive political moments must be handled with care, balance and factual rigour, warning that selective storytelling could distort public understanding of recent political history.
The rebuttal has reopened debate about Buhari’s true position during the 2023 APC primary contest and the internal dynamics that shaped Osinbajo’s ultimately unsuccessful presidential bid.
