Inside the eight-year Buhari-Osinbajo relationship, By Babafemi Ojudu

When Muhammadu Buhari and Professor Yemi Osinbajo assumed office as Nigeria’s President and Vice President in May 2015, their partnership evolved into one of the most stable and institutionally coherent relationships in Nigeria’s democratic history. Across two full terms, President Buhari repeatedly demonstrated — through words, actions, and formal delegation of authority — his confidence in Osinbajo’s intellect, loyalty, and leadership capacity.

This record matters, not as political sentiment, but as evidence.

Trust Tested: Osinbajo as Acting President

One of the earliest and clearest demonstrations of Buhari’s confidence in Osinbajo came in February 2016, when the President voluntarily transmitted power to his Vice President during a brief vacation abroad. In Nigeria’s political history — where presidents have often clung to power even in absence — this was a notable act of trust.

That trust was tested more severely in 2017, during Buhari’s prolonged medical leave. Osinbajo served for months as Acting President, overseeing national security, economic management, and executive decision-making at a critical moment.

On Buhari’s return, there was no equivocation in his assessment:

“I am pleased with the way the country was run in my absence.” — President Muhammadu Buhari, March 2017

He went further, describing Osinbajo’s stewardship as “fantastic” and praising his decisiveness and energy. Governance, Buhari emphasised, had not stalled.

Authority, Delegation, and Institutional Integrity

In August 2018, while Osinbajo was Acting President, he approved the dismissal of the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS). The decision provoked intense political pressure for reversal.

Buhari refused.

According to accounts of the episode, Buhari viewed any attempt to countermand Osinbajo’s lawful action as injurious to institutional stability and as an insult to the authority he had delegated to his Vice President. He stood by the decision — not as a passive observer, but as a President asserting that his deputy’s constitutional powers were real and enforceable.

This was not symbolic trust. It was operational trust.

Economic Management and Policy Leadership

Buhari consistently praised Osinbajo’s role in economic stewardship, particularly as Chairman of the National Economic Council (NEC). Addressing traditional rulers in Ogun State, the President publicly acknowledged Osinbajo’s intellectual depth and policy contributions:

“I am very pleased with his vast experience and intellect. He has captured effectively what the administration has done, and I commend him for playing a very great part in that. Thank you, Mr Vice President.”

Buhari also commended Osinbajo’s leadership of the Federal Government’s Social Investment Programmes, initiatives designed to cushion economic hardship and bring government closer to ordinary Nigerians. Under Osinbajo’s coordination, reforms under the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan and the Ease of Doing Business initiative moved Nigeria up 39 places on the World Bank ranking.

In a personal letter following a campaign incident, Buhari wrote to Osinbajo:

“I’m proud of our partnership and your unalloyed loyalty and your commitment to the service of Nigeria.”

These were not casual compliments. They were deliberate presidential affirmations.

Private Encouragement and the 2023 Question

According to insider accounts, President Buhari privately encouraged Osinbajo ahead of the 2023 presidential race, reportedly describing him as:

“By far the best person for the job.”

While Buhari refrained from publicly endorsing any aspirant during the primaries — a position he maintained consistently — this private assurance aligned with the pattern established over eight years: respect for Osinbajo’s competence and leadership.

Public Tributes and Repeated Affirmations

At the virtual launch of Osinbajo Strides: Defining Moments of an Innovative Leader in May 2023, Buhari described his Vice President as:

“A dedicated and loyal compatriot with a passion for excellence and service to the masses.”

Beyond singular events, Buhari marked Osinbajo’s birthdays with repeated public commendations:

• March 2019: Osinbajo was described as a loyal and dependable partner.
• March 2021 (at 64): Buhari praised him as “a reliable and dedicated deputy” and “admirably competent,” adding: “I’m proud to have selected Osinbajo as my running mate, and he has given a good account of himself since our journey began in 2015.”
• March 2023: The Presidency again issued a statement praising Osinbajo’s service and commitment.

Across eight years, these affirmations were consistent, public, and documented.

The Evidentiary Contradiction

Set against this extensive record, the claim attributed to Mrs. Aisha Buhari — that President Buhari did not “know” Professor Yemi Osinbajo well enough to support his presidential ambition — presents a clear evidentiary contradiction.

For eight uninterrupted years, Osinbajo was not a distant associate or ceremonial deputy. He was Buhari’s closest constitutional partner: entrusted with executive authority for prolonged periods, praised for leadership during national uncertainty, defended when exercising delegated power, and consistently acknowledged as central to the administration’s economic and social policy direction.

In governance, knowledge is not abstract. It is demonstrated through delegation, reliance, defense of authority, and repeated public endorsement. By these objective standards, Buhari knew Osinbajo fully — as a leader, administrator, and governing partner.

To suggest otherwise is not merely to offer an alternative recollection; it is to contradict a substantial public record composed of presidential speeches, official statements, letters, and decisive actions. Where retrospective narratives blur, evidence remains.

And in this case, the evidence is extensive, cumulative, and internally consistent. It does not support the assertion that Osinbajo was a man unknown to the President he served faithfully for eight years.

History, when properly documented, resists revision. And here, the record speaks with uncommon clarity.

Babafemi Ojudu was managing editor of TheNews and served in the Nigerian Senate.