Fatima Buhari: My dad’s private secretary was overbearing — ministers feared him

Fatima Buhari, first daughter of late Muhammadu Buhari, says Tunde Sabiu, former private secretary to the president, wielded significant influence by controlling document flow, managing access, and exercising authority beyond his official responsibilities.

Fatima shared her account in ‘From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari’, a biography written by Charles Omole.

She said she is not spreading anonymous rumours but recounting what she personally observed and heard while her father was Nigeria’s number one citizen.

According to her account, stories about Sabiu, who was also Buhari’s nephew, circulated widely, including a foreign visitor joking in a film clip that it was impossible to see the president without his approval.

Fatima also recalled that several ministers behaved as though only Sabiu could facilitate progress on government matters.

She added that there was a clear fear within the administration that offending Sabiu could stall or completely halt official initiatives.

“Tunde,” she said, in an account corroborated by other sources, “had a hold on most of the ministers”.

She said he made it clear to them that they could do nothing without his involvement.

Fatima noted that while the role of a private secretary naturally confers chokepoint power, it also comes with a constant temptation to overreach.

“He was overbearing,” she said.

She recalled that there were moments when the president himself pushed back against this influence.

“In front of me, there’s a time that Baba shouted at Tunde,” Fatima added.

She described the incident as a rare moment of public correction from a leader who typically preferred persuasion over rebuke.

Fatima added that despite this, the broader structure of access control endured, allowing those who controlled the gate to impose what she described as a toll.

She further raised concerns about alleged forged signatures during the administration.

Fatima, a forensic auditor, said she reviewed documents and showed her father examples of fake signatures appended to his name.

She noted that others raised similar alarms, but said she did not identify who she believed was responsible for forging the president’s signature.

Fatima, however, stated that forgery was not unique to the Buhari presidency, noting that previous administrations experienced similar problems.