Former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, has stated that former President Muhammadu Buhari did not support President Bola Tinubu as his successor. He also claimed that Buhari doubted his former Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, and preferred ex-Senate President Ahmed Lawan to succeed him.
According to Lamido, Tinubu did not owe his rise to power to anyone as he was a bold and self-made leader.
Speaking with Tribune, Lamido said: “Prior to the convention, he (Tinubu) was in Abeokuta, Ogun State, where he boasted that it was his turn to rule Nigeria. And Buhari, very naive, was watching. He never liked Tinubu. There was somebody he wanted.
“He didn’t even trust his own vice president, Professor (Yemi) Osinbajo; he wanted Ahmed Lawan, but his calculation was absurd. You have done eight years for the North and you wanted another Northerner for another eight years?! No. Maybe later but there are some dynamics which you can’t alter, not in Nigeria of today.
“The president of Nigeria, after being in office for eight years, lacked the courage to push through his anointed choice. He was there at the convention and Tinubu that he never liked, he never believed in emerged. Tinubu knows that his victory wasn’t from Buhari, therefore, he owes him nothing.”
Before the 2015 presidential election, there were rumors that Buhari opposed Tinubu becoming the candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
There were reports of attempts to sabotage Tinubu’s candidacy, such as the artificial fuel scarcity and the proposed redesign of the naira to discourage Nigerians from voting for him. In response to these challenges, Tinubu defiantly declared “Emi Lokan” during one of his campaign rallies, asserting that it was his time to lead.
