Wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, has attacked Garba Shehu, the
spokesman of President Muhammadu Buhari and his nephew and ally,
Mamman Daura.
She said that while Daura had continued to give a presidential
directive without Buhari’s knowledge, Shehu had switched his loyalty
from her husband to some cabals within the Presidency.
In a strong-worded statement, Mrs Buhari disclosed how Shehu had
contributed to soiling her name.
She recounted how Daura’s daughter denied her access to her room, did
a video recording of the incident and released it to the public.
She also said that Shehu claimed that the government will not allow
the Office of the First Lady to run, only to reveal that it was
Daura’s idea.
Revealing some of Shehu’s antics in damaging her reputation, the
President’s wife said, “Nigeria’s development is hinged on the ability
of public officials to execute their mandates professionally and to be
shining examples in their various areas of endeavour.
“It is not a good sign when officials abandon their responsibilities
and start clutching at straws.
“As spokesperson for the President, he has the onerous responsibility
of managing the image of the President and all the good works that he
is executing in the country. Rather than face this responsibility
squarely, he has shifted his loyalty from the President to others who
have no stake in the compact that the President signed with Nigerians
on May 29, 2015 and 2019.
“To make matters worse, Mr Shehu has presented himself to these people
as a willing tool and executioner of their antics from the corridors
of power even to the level of interfering with the family affairs of
the President. This should not be so. The blatant meddling in the
affairs of a First Lady of a country is a continuation of the prodigal
actions of those that he serves.”
“The public was given the impression that on arrival to the country,
I was locked out of the villa by Mr President. Garba Shehu as Villa
spokesperson, knew the truth and had the responsibility to set the
records straight, but because his allegiance is somewhere else and his
loyalty misplaced, he deliberately refused to clear the air and speak
for the President who appointed him in the first place.
“Consequently, his action has shown a complete breakdown of trust
between the first family and him.
“Mr Shehu was privy and part of the plan and it’s execution and he was
shocked when he realised that I had publicised my return to Nigeria on
October 12, 2019 and cleared the air on the many rumours that took
over social media, a job he was supposed to do but kept mute to cause
more confusion and instability for his principal and his family.”
Speaking further, Mrs Buhari warned Shehu that his excessive attitude
would no longer be tolerated.
While also revealing that Shehu had concluded plans to hire writers to
defame her by publishing articles with pseudo names, she urged him to
listen to counsel offered to him in the best interest of all.
