Fatima Buhari: ‘My Father’s Secretary, Sabiu Tunde, Wielded Excessive Power During Buhari Presidency’

By Micheal Chukwuebuka

Fatima Buhari, daughter of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, has stated that her father’s former private secretary, Sabiu Tunde, exercised influence far beyond the limits of his official role, to the extent that even cabinet ministers were reportedly wary of him.

She made the disclosure in From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, a biography authored by Charles Omole.

According to Fatima, her account is based on personal observation rather than hearsay, drawn from what she saw and heard during her father’s time in office. She described Sabiu, who is also related to the former President, as controlling key documents, managing access to the President and wielding decision-making authority disproportionate to his position.

She further recalled that Sabiu’s influence was so widely acknowledged that a foreign diplomat once joked in a video that “you can’t see President Buhari without Sabiu’s approval.”

Fatima added that some ministers behaved as though government business could not progress without passing through Sabiu, underscoring the extent of power he was perceived to hold during the administration.