President Muhammadu Buhari’s biographer, Professor John Paden has dismissed insinuations that there is a rift between the President and former National Security Adviser, NSA, Col Sambo Dasuki,(rtd).
Dasuki was said to have participated in the coup of 1985 that ousted Buhari from power.
The former NSA, is standing trial for multiple charges of corruption, and has been in detention despite been granted bail by several courts, and just last week, the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, court ordered the Federal Government to release Dasuki .
Dasuki had alleged that his prosecution and continuous detention was borne out of an old grudge.
However, Paden, a Professor of International Studies, in his book, ‘Muhammadu Buhari: The Challenges of Leadership in Nigeria,’ dismissed the claim, saying both Buhari and Dasuki are in-laws.
According to Paden, the President is confronting corruption in the military because it threatens the survival of the country.
In chapter 15 of the recently-launched book, Paden wrote: “It is beyond the scope of this study to assess all the backstories of the relationship between Buhari and Dasuki. Suffice it to say that the so-called grudge between the two has never really existed.
“Dasuki is 12 years younger than Buhari, even though Dasuki did participate in the 1985 countercoup. The family of Ibrahim Dasuki and the Buhari extended family have been linked by marriage for more than four decades.
“In addition, in his inaugural address, Buhari had professed that although, ‘the past is prologue,’ he had no time to pursue alleged ‘enemies’.
“Yet the real story has little to do with personal or political relationships. As noted throughout this study, Buhari has a strong belief in right and wrong. He has an abiding respect for the Nigerian military as an institution that can help hold Nigeria together.
“From Buhari perspective, if corruption in military procurement undermines the integrity of the military, that corruption must be confronted. And if such procurement allegations weaken the military response to Boko Haram and put ordinary foot soldiers at risk, that corruption poses a double threat, endangering even the Nigeria project itself.”
Comments