From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, a new book by Dr. Charles Omole, has revealed how former First Lady, Aisha Buhari, played a crucial role in the removal of Lawal Daura as Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), amid a broader scheme by influential Aso Rock aides who peddled fake presidential orders to security chiefs to rig the 2023 APC presidential primaries for then Senate president, Ahmad Lawan.

The book launched at the State House Conference Hall, by President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, highlighted Mrs. Buhari’s influence in the dramatic sacking of Daura by then-acting president, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.

According to the book, aides close to former President Muhammadu Buhari approached the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), DG DSS and DG National Intelligence Agency (NIA) with fabricated “presidential orders” on the eve of the APC primaries, aiming to deploy security to install Lawan as the consensus candidate.

The narrative underscored the Aisha’s direct involvement in Daura’s ouster, framing it as one of the earliest tests of Buhari’s restraint. “We can also reveal that the First Lady Aisha Buhari, was a major instigator for the removal of the SSS boss,” the book states, noting that when Osinbajo acted as president, he removed Daura despite pressure for reversal. Buhari refused to interfere, viewing any countermand as “an insult to his vice, and an institutional order.”

Former IGP Usman Alkali Baba’s account in the book details the fake order intrigue. “The IGP recalls a quiet meeting in the run-up to the 2023 general elections: the National Security Adviser, the Service Chiefs, the Director-General of the State Security Service, and himself were present,” it recounts.

“The President addressed them plainly. He was going to the ruling party’s last caucus meeting and would say, once again, that Nigerians should be allowed to vote for whom they wanted. Their job, he said, was to ensure the security that would make that choice real, and he would provide the funding to do it.”

On the morning of the primary, “some influential figures – people ‘close to the President,’ according to the IGP – approached three security chiefs: the IGP, the Director-General of the DSS, and the DG, NIA. They relayed a presidential ‘order’ to the trio to deploy security forces to install Sen. Lawan as the APC presidential candidate as the consensus candidate.

“Alkali Baba refused and rallied his colleagues to seek Buhari’s clarification. When they were escorted in, the IGP led the way… They informed the President that security for the convention at Eagle Square was arranged. Then, they asked, ‘Is there any other instruction, sir?’ He had none.”

The IGP then raised questions over Lawan’s supposed endorsement. “The President laughed, and then he made it clear: he had not anointed anyone. He repeated what he had always said—Nigerians should choose. And they do not interfere with the wishes of the party voters.”

Outside, the schemers waited, only to hear from the IGP: “the President had no candidate, there would be no manipulation from the Villa through the security service.” The book laments how “people close to Buhari exploited his trust and misrepresented him to harm the nation, without Buhari’s knowledge.”

In a related Villa incident, a family dispute escalated to gunfire by a policeman linked to the First Lady’s office. Buhari’s Chief Security Officer, Abubakar Idris, arrested the officer, and the President ordered his nephew involved to leave, prioritising accountability over family ties.

The event drew high-profile guests including President Bola Tinubu, Gambian President Adama Barrow, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, wife of the Vice President, Nana Shettima, governors, royal fathers, Aisha Buhari herself, and former President Buhari’s aides. (The Sun)