Ex-presidential spokesperson says talk of rift is baseless, reaffirms Buhari’s loyalty to APC
Former presidential spokesperson Mallam Garba Shehu has dismissed claims of a rift between former President Muhammadu Buhari and his successor, President Bola Tinubu, describing the speculation as unfounded and lacking evidence.
Speaking during an interview on Trust TV’s 30 Minutes, Shehu emphasized that there is no formal disagreement or animosity between the two leaders.
He reaffirmed that Buhari remains a loyal member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party that secured him two terms in office after three unsuccessful bids.
“I don’t think in a formal and official sense, anybody would talk about distrust or mistrust between the Buhari administration and the Tinubu administration,” Shehu said. “Buhari has always acknowledged the role APC played in helping him achieve his presidential ambition, and he remains deeply grateful.”
According to Shehu, Buhari has repeatedly stated that he will never betray the party that gave him the opportunity to serve as Nigeria’s president for eight years.
“For him, he’s essentially an APC man,” he added.
Responding to reports of divisions within the APC, Shehu noted that those who witnessed the difficult process of forming the party in 2014 are unlikely to be the ones causing instability now.
He recalled the sacrifices that brought disparate political forces together to form a viable opposition, which ultimately led to the party’s success at the 2015 polls.
“It took a lot of doing, energy, and sacrifice for the APC to come together. The people who were there and saw how much sweat it took are not likely to be the ones trying to fracture it now,” Shehu said.
He added that while the public is free to express opinions or interpretations of events, such sentiments do not reflect the actual state of the relationship between Buhari and Tinubu or the health of the APC as a party.
“We see the statements, we read them. But do we get disturbed? I don’t think that is the right word,” he concluded.
