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Seven Imo Command Police Officers Face Orderly Room Trial

December 19, 2025

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Imo State Police Command has assured that the disciplinary process initiated against seven of its officers will be thorough, transparent ,and conducted in accordance with laid down Nigeria Police Force rules and regulations.

This is as the Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma, said the outcome will also be made available to the public.

A statement on Thursday December 18, 2025, from its spokesperson, Henry Okoye informed that the seven personnel were, allegedly, involved in extortion, high-handedness and other unprofessional conducts.

According to Okoye, while some of the affected officers were arrested following a viral video highlighting their alleged misconducts,bothers were apprehended through public complaints, and investigations.

The personnel involved according to Okoye, include three Inspectors, one Sergeant and three Constables .

“The Imo State Police has commenced the orderly room trial of personnel involved in misconduct, including extortion, unprofessionalism and high-handedness.

” The trial followed the identification of the personnel by the complainants , leading to their arrest and investigation .

” Orderly Room Trial proceedings have therefore been initiated against the following seven (7) personnel: Inspector Eyo Udo- Anti-Vice Unit , Inspector Peter Nweke , Rapid Response Squad RRS , Inspector Ita Asuquo, Search and Flush , Sergeant Chukwuka Ekwueme ,Anti-Vice Unit , Police Constable Patchris David -Anti-Vice Unit , Police Constable Amos Sunny -Anti-Vice Unit , police Constable Onuwa Samuel -Anti-Vice Unit.

” Notably, some of the personnel were captured in a viral video depicting an alleged extortion incident involving operatives attached to a Joint Task Force JTF operation , including the other sister agencies at Seven-and-a half Junction ,Obowo , whose personnel have been handed over to their various agencies for disciplinary action”, the Police stated .

FG Orders Reopening Of Unity Schools

Ayodele Oni

December 18, 2025

By Ayodele Oni

The Federal Government owned 47 unity schools earlier shut down due to security concerns have been directed to reopen.

The federal government, on Thursday announced the reopening of the unity schools earlier shut down due to security concerns. This was disclosed in a statement by the Federal Ministry of Education.

It said that the decision to reopen the affected colleges across the country reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to safeguarding students and ensuring the continuity of education.

“After the strengthening of security architecture within and around the affected schools, academic activities have fully resumed.

Students have returned safely to their campuses, with many currently concluding their December academic programmes, while others have successfully completed their examinations.”

The statement, signed by the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, partly assured parents, guardians, and the general public that the safety, welfare, and well-being of students remain a top priority.

The ministry explained that the government continues to work closely with relevant security agencies to sustain stability and restore normalcy within school environments nationwide.

“The federal government remains resolute in its responsibility to protect every Nigerian child and to uphold their fundamental right to education in a safe and secure environment.

“This administration places strong emphasis on human capital development and recognises education as a critical pillar for national growth and development.

“Accordingly, it remains determined to prevent any disruption to the academic calendar,” it stated.

It further noted that the safe return of students and the successful conduct of examinations in several unity colleges underscored the government’s resolve to keep learning on track despite prevailing challenges.

The federal government, on November 21, ordered the immediate closure of 41 Federal Unity Colleges over rising security concerns.

The directive was issued through a circular dated November 21, 2025, from the Federal Ministry of Education.

The circular asked principals of affected schools to enforce the closure without delay. The 41 schools are in states across the North-West, North-East, North-Central, and parts of the South.

Reps Set Up Committee To Probe Alleged Doctoring Of New Tax Law

Suleiman Anyalewechi

December 18, 2025

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The House of Representatives on Thursday December 18, 2025, empowered an adhoc committee to investigate the alleged discrepancies between the new tax law and the bill passed by the National Assembly.

The Speaker of the House Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudden who announced the setting up of the Committee during plenary assured that all necessary action will be taken to unravel the actual circumstances surrounding the alleged discrepancies.

The Source reports that Hon Abdusammad Dasuki, PDP Sokoto State, had, on Wednesday December 17, alleged that the tax law as assented to and gazetted by the Executive Arm of Government is strikingly different from the one deliberated and passed by the Legislative body.

Standing on Order Six Rule Two of the House rules on a point of Privileged, Dasuki informed that his privileges as a Federal Legislator has been breached going by his discovery that what the National Assembly passed as tax bill ,is not what has been assented to and gazetted by the executive branch .

He noted that he took out three days to read copies of the assented and gazetted tax law, and regretted that when compared with the bill as passed by the Legislative organ, there is a lot of discrepancies.

According to him, it is imperative for the House to examine the issue at stake , with a view to finding a solution before it is too late .

In this regard, Hon Dasuki called for a review of all relevant documents, including the harmonized versions of bill from both chambers of the National Assembly , the votes,as well as records of proceedings from both chambers ,and the gazetted copies presently in circulation by the Committee of the Whole.

“Mr Speaker, I will be pleading that all the documents should be brought before the Committee of the Whole .

“The whole members should see what is in the gazetted copy ,and see what they passed on the floor so that we can make relevant amendment.

“Mr Speaker, this is a breach of the Constitution . This is a breach of our laws, and this should not be taken by this Honourable House”, Hon Dasuki submitted.

The Seven-member ad-hoc Committee which is to be headed by Hon Mukhtar Aliyu Betara, has been mandated to thoroughly look into any observed discrepancies and report back to the House

Court Grants Order Halting The Impeachment Of Eba, Cross River APC Chairman

Suleiman Anyalewechi

December 18, 2025

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

A Federal Capital Territory, High Court on Thursday, December 18 ,2025, granted an interim injunction restraining parties in All Progressive Congress, APC, Cross River State, Chapter leadership crisis and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from giving effect to the purported removal from office of the Chairman of the party Hon Alphonsus Ogar Eba.

The Source reports that the crisis of confidence which rocked the State APC on November 4 ,2025 came to a head with about 30 out of the 32-member State Working Committee SWC voting in Otufam Ojogu after impeaching Eba as chairman.

They alleged high-handedness, diversion of party funds, and anti-party activities as some of the reasons for removing Eba as the state chairman.

Ruling on an ex-parte application brought before the court, the Judge, Hon Justice J. E Obanor, issued an interim order barring the APC, the newly elected chairman Ojogu ,and the INEC from removing ,or sidelining Eba from his position as the APC Chairman or the party’s activities pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

Embattled Eba had in the application filed through his Counsel,Ayotunde Ogunleye, prayed the Court to grant him protection from what he described as illegal November 4, 2025 resolution purporting to have removed him from office as the Cross River state APC chairman..

He argued that the said unlawful resolution had sought to prevent him from exercising his legitimate duties as the APC Chairman in Cross River State .

Consequently, in granting the reliefs sought, the Court restrained the respondents either by themselves, their agents or privies, from giving effect to, or continuing to give effect to the said resolution, particularly any action that would prevent Eba from performing his responsibilities as the Chairman of the APC , pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice before the court .

The Court also restrained the respondents from preventing the applicant from attending the APC, National Executive Council, NEC, meeting billed for Friday December 19, 2025, in addition to any other party activities during the subsistence of his tenure or any extension as may be granted by APC, NEC.

Justice Obanor similarly barred the respondents from engaging, initiating or deliberating on, or taking any actions capable of adversely affecting Eba in performing his duties as the chairman of the APC in the state pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit which has been fixed for hearing on January 22 ,2026.

OPINION: Ahmed’s Fall, the Dangote Challenge and a Rentier System

The Source

December 18, 2025

By Azu Ishiekwene

It’s rare to find a multibillionaire who hasn’t had nasty battles. Yet, as battles go, the fight between Aliko Dangote, the founder of the Dangote Refinery, and the CEO of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, is among the most spectacular that Africa’s wealthiest man has had to fight in recent times.

It won’t be a surprise if the resignation of Ahmed (and the chief executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Gbenga Komolafe) on Wednesday marks a pause, rather than an end, because the problems run very deep.

Dangote’s cement and noodle wars were rough. They earned him many scars and lifelong bitter enemies.Yet, in retrospect, they look like skirmishes compared to the battle to secure the refinery. This battle has pitted him against vested state interests that have enjoyed the vast pleasures of a rentier economy for decades.

Scalding like fire

In scalding press statements and advertorials signed by Dangote this week, he accused Ahmed of living above his means, with children attending elite Swiss schools that cost up to $5 million in fees. He challenged him to show how he could have afforded that from his legitimate income.

Dangote followed up on his press statements by filing a petition against Ahmed with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), which is believed to contain even more damaging allegations than what was publicly disclosed.

The man who is usually microphone-shy is not only shaking the table but also calling out the regulator in a multi-layered war for self and country.

Not even when President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua revoked the sale of the Port Harcourt and Kaduna Refineries to Bluestar in 2007, after the Dangote-led consortium paid $670 million to seal the deal, was the fallout as bitter as it has been since the Dangote Refinery was commissioned.

Greasy as Oil Business

The reason is simple: Oil is not just a business; it’s political power. Unlike cement and noodles, oil does not just respond to history, it shapes and drives it.

Two great books that shed light on oil and political power are “The Seven Sisters: The Great Oil Companies and the World They Shaped”by Anthony Sampson (1975) and “The Prize” by Daniel Yergin (1990), with the latter, which won a Pulitzer, offering a riveting account of the battles between pioneers in the oil industry and the state actors they fought.

When John D. Rockefeller transformed the oil industry from a curiosity into a global industry through Standard Oil, for example, it began as a joke. The state was not interested. Coal was the primary driver of global energy supply at the time, and oil didn’t seem to have a promising future.

Rockefeller secured the supply chain from transportation and refining to the markets until the 20^th century, when oil became a strategic military asset. The British navy converted its fleet from coal to oil, and Winston Churchill insisted on state involvement in the oil industry. That changed everything.

After two world wars fought with oil as a decisive factor, and producer states claiming to have defeated corporate dominance, new problems have emerged to show that oil pioneers almost always collide with entrenched power once they threaten the existing rent structure.

Ahmed’s fall

Ahmed has fallen, but he may have fallen to save the system. While the war raged, he not only represented a regulatory agency, but he was also the nexus where pioneer desperation and entrenched power collided.

The accusation that Ahmed’s children are in foreign schools that his legitimate income cannot afford will be sniffed at in many circles for at least two reasons: a) regulators’ income is usually set to match industry levels, which means that Ahmed’s income may be comparable to those in the oil industry, and b) leaving above means is the rule rather than the exception, especially in the public service.

An attempt to enact a law for public officers and their families to use only public schools and health institutions has been stalled at the First Reading stage in the House of Representatives since July. It may never progress, even at gunpoint.

In his over 38-year career, Ahmed has built a cosy relationship with petrol importers. At PPMC, the pipeline subsidiary of NNPC, he wielded petrol import licensing power like a commercial actor. Even when he later became a regulator requiring impartiality and fairness, he still behaved like a commercial actor, earning him a reputation as the standard-bearer of the rentier status quo.

The godfathers

The Nigerian godfathers of oil rent, to paraphrase Yergin, are putting up fierce resistance against the new dynamics Dangote’s entry is bringing into the industry. Ahmed is not the last stand, only a symbol of it. Just as Dangote often asks himself why he didn’t put his $20 billion elsewhere instead of a refinery, the state may occasionally regret why it gave him the licence in the first place.

It’s a struggle for market share and ultimately, profit, a struggle for “the world’s biggest and most pervasive business…” In this fight, the vested interests who have always hidden behind public bureaucracy for self-enrichment are suddenly aware that an independent player is changing the game, if not the rules.

In November, the NMDPRA hadadvised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to shelve plans to ban imports of refined petroleum because local output could not meet the national demand, put by the regulator at 55 million litres daily.

Dangote countered the claim, arguing that the regulator was distorting the actual refining capacity by reporting offtake statistics instead of the true production data. He also argued that continued importation of petrol hurts jobs, investments, and undermines Nigeria’s energy security.

It’s the rent, stupid!

Incumbents rarely say, “We want to protect rents.” They say, “We’re protecting the system.” Yet, for decades, continued petrol importation has not only drained billions of dollars from the country, but also encouraged the importation of low-quality, vehicle-damaging products. Apart from that, an estimated N11.35 trillion (approximately $25 billion) spent on repairing the country’s state refineries has ended up in the pockets of freeloaders, unaccounted for.

Herein lies the state’s dilemma. Whatever the pretences of the managers of the state oil company and their godfathers in high places, state actors are not neutral. Ahmed’s fight is their fight; his fall may well be a strategic reset. NNPC is a centre of elite capture, and they know that reforms would dilute their discretion, make them vulnerable and dismantle their rent.

Monopolist at work?

Does Dangote aim to become a monopoly? Perhaps. Is his fight altruistic? Unlikely. But if the regulator had tried to be more like a regulator, rather than an antagonist, it would have done at least two things: a) addressed the moribund state-owned refineries and tackled refinery licencees who have been AWOL, and b) applied the relevant provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act for a fair and transparent pricing framework.

But rather than try to make a difference, Ahmed was too accustomed to the old ways – rents from fuel imports, foreign exchange arbitrage, subsidy-era patronage networks, and, not to mention,the political leverage built on scarcity.

Dangote must accept that Ahmed was only a symptom of a deeper, systemic problem. The only proof that Ahmed was not removed to save the system is that he should be investigated so that he can either clear his name or face the consequences.

Ishiekwene is Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP and author of the new book A Midlifer’s Guide to Content Creation and Profit.

FG Moves To Implement Executive Order, Bans Wood Export

Ayodele Oni

December 18, 2025

The Minister of Environment, Mr Balarabe Lawal,

By Ayodele Oni

To put an end to deforestation and illegal logging, the Federal Government has announced an immediate nationwide prohibition on the export of wood and related products.

It also ordered revocation of all licences and permits previously issued for the trade.

The Minister of Environment, Mr Balarabe Lawal, disclosed this at the ongoing 18th meeting of the National Council on Environment held in Katsina State.

According to the minister, the ban is in accordance with a Presidential Executive Order titled “Presidential Executive Order on the Prohibition of Exportation of Wood and Allied Products, 2025.”

The executive order, published in the Extraordinary Federal Republic of Nigeria Official Gazette No. 180, Vol. 112 of October 16, 2025, derives its authority from Sections 17(2) and 20 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

The provisions mandate the state to protect the environment, forests and wildlife, and to prevent the exploitation of natural resources for private or sectional interests.

Lawal pointed out that Nigeria’s forests play a vital role in environmental sustainability, noting that they support livelihoods, preserve biodiversity, provide clean air and water, and help mitigate the effects of climate change.

He warned that the unchecked exportation of wood poses a serious threat to these ecological benefits and undermines long-term environmental protection efforts.

Under the new policy, security agencies and relevant government ministries have been directed to enforce a strict clampdown on illegal logging and related activities nationwide.

Earlier, while declaring the council meeting open, the Deputy Governor of Katsina State, Mr Faruk Lawal Jobe, underscored the importance of intergovernmental collaboration in addressing environmental challenges.

He noted that Katsina State had a history of introducing socio-economic policies that later influenced national strategies.

Jobe stressed that environmental sustainability is critical to economic growth and improved quality of life, adding that the state government had prioritised programmes to combat desertification and promote afforestation

Former AGF, Malami To Remain In EFCC Custody, FCT Court Rules

Ayodele Oni

December 18, 2025

By Ayodele Oni

Former Attorney General of the Federation and justice minister, Abubakar Malami, SAN, will remain in the custody of the Economic, Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) as investigations into allegations against him continue.

This follows a Federal Capital Territory High Court ruling, which dismissed an application seeking the release of the former Attorney General of the Federation from the custody of the EFCC.

The court held that Malami’s detention was lawful and backed by a valid court order.

Justice Babangida Hassan delivered the ruling on Thursday rejecting the request for bail filed by Malami through his counsel, Dr. Suliaman Hassan, SAN.

The former minister had asked the court to order his release from EFCC custody, arguing that his continued detention during an ongoing investigation was unlawful.

Details of the ruling were disclosed by the anti graft agency in a post on its official X handle.

In opposing the application, EFCC counsel, Chief J. S. Okutepa, SAN, told the court that Malami was being detained pursuant to a subsisting Remand Order issued by Justice S. C. Oriji of the same FCT High Court.

He maintained that the commission operates strictly within the law and would not hold any suspect beyond the period allowed without express judicial authorisation.

In his judgment, Justice Hassan relied on Section 35 of the 1999 Constitution and relevant provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.

He held that the law permits detention where a valid remand order exists and ruled that Malami’s custody by the EFCC complied with due process.

The Judge stressed that granting the application would amount to sitting in appeal over a decision of a court of coordinate jurisdiction, which he said was not permissible.

Civil Society Groups Urge FG to Declare Rimingado Anti-corruption Hero

Akinwale Kasali

December 18, 2025

By Akinwale Kasali

The Federal Government has been asked to declare former Chairman, Kano State Anti Corruption and Public Complaints Commission, PACPCC, Muhuyi Gado Rimingado a national anti-corruption hero.

The Coalition of many Civil Society Groups described Ramingado as one of Nigeria’s most outstanding anti-corruption fighters who risked his life for the good of Nigerians but has been facing threat to his life from politicians who seem desperate to eliminate him.

The over 130 Civil Society Groups under the aegis of the Nigeria Human Rights Community, NHRC, called for an immediate halt to the harassment, intimidation and humiliation of the former PACC Chairman.

It also urged the Federal Government to stop all trials instigated against him for his stance against corruption.

And that the Police should stop the surveillance placed on him and his family by suspected corrupt officials.

At a press conference in Lagos, the Group said Rimingado is currently being hunted for exposing scandalous sleaze running into billions of Naira being the fall out of the mismanagement of Kano State public funds.

Speaking at the event on Thursday, the NHRC Deputy President, Babatunde Adeleke said the Nigerian civil rights groups are deeply concerned about the threat to the life Rimingado and his family having exposed stupendous corruption perpetrated by politically exposed persons in Kano State.

The NHRC said by declaring him a national hero, the Federal Government would have inspired millions of Nigerians who are shocked that a man of conscience can be so hunted for speaking the truth.

The group said Kano State represents the commercial hub of Northern Nigeria and by far the richest state in the North yet with a high rate of school drop outs and poor access to health, partly due to official corruption.

It added that during his tenure, he launched an intensive investigation into public finances based on complaints he received from the public.

“He did his job diligently and in good faith to God and to mankind. In the process, he discovered corruption running into over N20b. He did not allow himself to be politically influenced. He continued with his work as a dedicated and loyal servant of the people”.

The PCACC was established in April 2005 to fight corruption in Kano State.

The NHRC said a forthnight ago, armed men bundled Rimingado into a vehicle where he was sandwiched between armed policemen who drove all nightfrom Kano to Abuja in order to gag him. If armed bandits had attacked the convoy, there was only a slim chance that Ramingado would have escaped.

The rights group said the gross mismanagement of public funds he discovered were linked to the outright stealing of the state’s Internationally Generated Revenue, (IGR).

Adeleke said those responsible for the stealing made every effort to bribe him, when that failed they started to force, blackmail him to retreat, but his good conscience prevailed.

The group said being a principled servant of the people, the Kano State Government decided to sack him even without due process. The accusation against him was that he had the courage to investigate cases of corruption involving government officials.

“Since his dismissal by the Kano State Government, his life has been in serious danger. Day and night, he and his family are hunted and threatened with death”.

It however urged the Federal Government to recall that Rimingado has said that fighting corruption was like confronting the Columbia drug cartel.

In Columbia, the Medlein Cartel led by Pablo Escobar and the Cali Cartel dominated cocaine trafficking leading Columbia to vast illicit wealth of the few which promoted corruption, violence, mass public revenge and prolonged bloody gun fights with the authorities.

The event was attended by several leaders of civil society in the country.

The event hereby draw the attention of the world to the consistent persecution of one of Nigeria’s most outstanding whistleblowers, Muhuyi Gado Ramingado.

“They are planning to silence him. We don’t want him to be killed. The world need to rise up in defence of Ramingado”, the group said.

The rights coalition said the story began with the creation of the anti-corruption commission in Kano.

This was a novel idea.

It said while the EFCC investigates series of corruption cases, it is obvious that the EFCC and the ICPC cannot handle all the various vases of corruption in the country.

“This was the idea behind having state level anti-corrutpion agencies”.

The Government of Kano led the way by establishing the anti corruption body at the state level.

Currently, he is being persecuted and hunted by the various government authorities and powerful individuals, mostly, politically exposed persons.

The cases he started investigating in Kano involved billions of public funds diverted by public officials.

“It is clear now that politically exposed persons are desperate to kill him in order to sit comfortably on stolen funds. This was why he said fighting corruption was like the battle against drug cartels in Colombia.

“Corruption cannot be fought effectively when law enforcement agents are compromised by the same corrupt politicians who have no respect for accountability”.

The group called on the Federal Government to strengthen the anti corruption laws to empower whistle blowers.

The NHRC observes that some policemen are currently being used against him by powerful but stupendously corrupt politicians who feed on the misery of the toiling masses.

“We are deeply concerned that the Police initiated criminal investigation into a judicial process, contrary to Section 211 of the Nigerian Constitution and that it is pre-judicial for the police to hunt and malice someone who has filed corrupt charges on behalf of the State against politicians that consistently ruin the frontiers of democracy and human prosperity.

“The police have no legal or moral reasons to enquire about what is already before the Court of Law especially a criminal matter.

“That politicians indicated by his investigations will be held personally responsible if any harm comes his way.

“Today, corruption remains one of the most dangerous threats to human and environmental development in Nigeria. Corruption undermines the integrity of the country and stunts the greatness of Nigeria. It promotes poverty, hunger, starvation and unprecedented human misery.

“Corruption is partly responsible for terrorism and the geo-metric increase in violence and banditry spreading across Nigeria like the speed of light. Lack and honesty and transparency in Nigeria has compounded the growth and development of democracy in Africa’s largest democracy and the biggest configuration of black people all over the world.

“Corruption continues to compromise the integrity of Nigeria making the country the least attractable destination for foreign investors”.

It is estimated that Nigeria loses some $18 billion annually to corruption.

These are however related to financial crimes in public and private procurement, contracts for construction works, kickbacks by private and public individuals and corporate institutions.

It is believed that Nigeria loses not less than $15 billion annually to illicit financial flows while corruption in cash bribes is put at some N721 billion.

These were paid to public officials in the year 2023 alone.

In Nigeria, experts put the percentage of Nigeria GDP that could be lost to corruption at some 37% of Nigeria’s GDP by the year 2030.

Fmr. Minister, Ngige, Granted Bail By Court

Ayodele Oni

December 18, 2025

By Ayodele Oni

A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja has granted bail to former Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, who is facing an eight-count corruption charge.

The court had earlier, on Monday, adjourned ruling in his bail application till Thursday.

Ngige, who served as Minister from November 2015 to May 2023, was accused of contract fraud totaling over N2.2 billion.

Justice Maryam Hassan granted Ngige bail, adopting the terms of the administrative bail previously granted him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The conditions include producing a surety who is a Federal Government Director, owns property in the FCT, and submit his travel documents to the Court.

Ngige’s lawyer, Patrick Ikwueto, SAN, had argued that his client is not a flight risk and should be released on bail, citing health concerns.

However, the EFCC opposed the bail request, alleging that Ngige had violated administrative bail conditions by failing to return his international passport after traveling abroad for medical treatment.

The court has adjourned the trial to January 28 and 29, 2026.

Ngige pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include abuse of office and accepting kickbacks from firms awarded contracts by the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).

Let Us Allow President Buhari To Rest In Peace” – El Rufai

Ayodele Oni

December 18, 2025

By Ayodele Oni

As more barrages of accusations and allegations as contained in a published book on late President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration continue to unfold, former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El Rufai, has advised that the soul of the late President be allowed to rest.

Some appointees in the administration and even the wife of the former president, Aisha, had revealed some events during the administration as contained in the book, “From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari’, a biography written by Dr Charles Omole.

El Rufai, in a post on his Facebook page, noted that the recent launch of a book on the life and legacy of late leader, President Buhari, has stirred deep emotions and renewed divisions among those who once formed his inner circle.

He stated: “Having followed the headlines and images from the event, I felt compelled to make a simple but urgent appeal: let us allow President Buhari to rest in peace.

“A careful look at those who dominated the book launch revealed the same factional lines that existed during Buhari’s lifetime. One camp was prominently represented, while others—equally close to the late president—were excluded.

“This selective engagement compounded by the choice of location of the event were red flags, and raises concerns about whether Buhari’s legacy is now being shaped to serve narrow interests rather than historical truth.

“More troubling was the presence of long-time critics of Buhari, some of whom now hold high office, delivering glowing, but clearly faked tributes.

“These are individuals who once blamed his administration for nearly every challenge facing Nigeria, but who now appear eager to revise history—perhaps to deflect responsibility for present failures.

“It was also unsettling to see individuals celebrating Buhari in death who had neither his trust nor his respect in life. President Buhari was a principled man who did not easily forget personal or political disrespect, and he made his preferences clear to those around him.

“I have not yet read the book, Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, and it is possible that some media reports lack context.

“However, many of the so-called revelations attributed to the late president appear one-sided and unfair, especially as he is no longer alive to respond.

“Explaining the thoughts and motivations of a complex leader through selective anecdotes risks distorting, rather than preserving, his legacy.

“President Buhari was far from perfect. Many of us who supported him expected much more from his civilian presidency.

“However, as someone who worked closely with him in opposition political, and governance roles for over a decade, I believe much of his administration’s shortcomings stemmed from the actions and failures of a powerful inner circle—relatives, advisers, and officials who did not always share his commitment to integrity and public service.

“Buhari himself remained, to the end, a man of deep faith, personal discipline, and unquestioned patriotism. Those now invoking his name for self-justification should reflect on whether they can claim the same standards.

“My appeal here is simple: to all Nigerians, admirers and critics alike—let President Muhammadu Buhari rest in peace. Let history judge him fairly, without opportunism or revisionism.

“The truest way to honour him is not through selective storytelling, or attempting to exhibit new-found love, but by upholding the values he embodied: simplicity, integrity, humility, and service to Nigeria with all he had.

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