Garba Shehu denies betraying Atiku, says Buhari appointment was circumstantial

Former presidential spokesperson, Mallam Garba Shehu, has dismissed allegations that he betrayed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar by accepting an appointment under former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.

Speaking ahead of the launch of his upcoming memoir titled “According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesperson’s Experience”—set for public presentation on July 9—Shehu clarified that his decision to join Buhari’s media team was not driven by disloyalty but by circumstance.

Shehu, who previously served as Atiku’s media aide, explained that his transition to Buhari’s camp followed the 2014 formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC). At the time, Atiku and other aspirants who lost the APC presidential ticket reportedly agreed to consolidate their campaign structures—including media teams—behind Buhari’s candidacy.

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“All the aspirants, including Atiku, Rochas Okorocha, Kwankwaso, and the late Sam Nda-Isaiah, contributed their media assets to the Buhari campaign. I was part of that pool,” he said. “The President had the grace to appoint me as campaign media director. That’s how I came on board.”

Shehu also addressed why he refrained from attacking Atiku during his eight-year tenure under Buhari. He said loyalty and discretion were essential in public office.

“If I had attacked Atiku, how would Buhari trust me? He would assume I could do the same to him one day. I learned from history. Even during the fallout between Abiola and IBB, did you hear the presidential spokesman vilify Abiola?” he said.

The former Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE) president stated that his forthcoming book not only documents his experience with the Buhari administration but also serves as a resource for aspiring journalists and public relations professionals.

“The book ‘According to the President—Lessons From a Presidential Spokesman’s Experience’ is not a personal biography but a guidebook written to inspire students who aspire to have a career in journalism and public relations.

“It is also an authoritative account of what President Buhari did with his eight years in office.

“This book tries to build on what Femi Adesina and several others have done, which is to authoritatively document the achievements and some of the historic decisions of the Buhari administration in eight years. It brings President Buhari up close: how did he govern? What did he eat? And the clothes he wears for some occasions?”

He added that the book is analytical, informative, and academic in its approach and comes packed with personal anecdotes and shared experiences of a cross-spectrum of reporters and editors in dealing with the author in his work as presidential spokesman.

He maintained that it was not possible for the 260-page book to explain the significant work, policies, and programmes undertaken by the administration in its eight years. He argued that Buhari brought the nation to a new pinnacle in the efforts to lay the foundation for a self-reliant Nigeria.

This, according to him, includes bringing a culture of personal integrity and setting new benchmarks in transparency with the institution of the Treasury Single Account, Tax Identification Number (TIN), BVN, IPPS, Whistleblower, the usage of NIN, and various other transparency-enhancing schemes.