Garba Shehu reveals why Obasanjo fell out with Buhari

Former presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, has dismissed ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo’s harsh assessment of the administration of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, saying their fallout was rooted in personal grievances.

Obasanjo had recently described Buhari’s 2015–2023 government as Nigeria’s “worst civil administration.”

Responding, Shehu said the criticism was not new, stressing that he had already documented the reasons behind Obasanjo’s hostility in his book, According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesman’s Experience.

According to Shehu, while Buhari respected Obasanjo as a senior military leader, their relationship soured after Obasanjo allegedly pressed him to award the Mambilla Power Project contract to his preferred contractor.

“On this, Buhari politely told the former president to allow him to handle it his own way, following due process,” Shehu wrote.

He maintained that Obasanjo’s verdict on Buhari’s administration reflected long-standing resentment rather than an objective appraisal of his record.