Presidency denies Buhari received DSS memo against Muslim-Muslim ticket

The Presidency says there is no intelligence by intelligence agencies report before President Muhammadu Buhari warning of the security implications of the Muslim-Muslim ticket fielded by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the APC, had picked Kashim Shettima, former governor of Borno, as his running mate for the 2023 presidential election.

The development has elicited varied reactions from Nigerians, with Christian groups kicking against the decision.

On Friday, an online report by Peoples Gazatte claimed the Department of State Service (DSS), in a “secret memo” to Buhari, warned that the Muslim-Muslim ticket “will destabilise Nigeria and endanger Christian lives”.

Reacting in a statement issued on Friday, Garba Shehu, presidential spokesperson, described the news report as “toxic”.

The presidential spokesperson said the report is seeking to “sow division and chaos” on the choice of Tinubu’s running mate, hence Nigerians should disregard it.

“We wish to advise well-meaning Nigerians to ignore a laughably puerile report by an apparently pirate online newspaper seeking to sow division and chaos on the choice of Governor Kashim Shettima as the Running Mate of our Party’s Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” the statement reads.

“This so-called newspaper is like a deadly virus. Stay safe by keeping away from its toxic reports.”

In its report the paper had claimed that the document got to the president through the National Security Adviser Babagana Monguno, and said Tinubu should consider the security implications of his selection before making it public, “according to three officials briefed on the report.”

It went further to allege that “the SSS produced the report and handed a copy to the NSA,”  who “looked at the report and added it for security briefing to the president.’’

“Simply put, our understanding is that the alliance will destabilise Nigeria and embolden attacks on Christian citizens from their fellow Muslim citizens,” the paper said quoting and unnamed “official.”

According to the report: “The distrust Christians are likely to harbour against a presidency occupied by two Muslims won’t make our work easy at the national security level.”

“The official said Buhari was not involved in the deliberations that led to Tinubu’s announcement of Kashim Shettima, from the Boko Haram stronghold in Borno, as his 2023 running mate to the ire of Christians across the country.

“People can say whatever they like about the President, but as a senior intelligence administrator I can guarantee you he was not involved in Tinubu’s decision at all,” the official said.

“Another official said the report was commissioned after Tinubu became the standard-bearer of the ruling All Progressives Congress on June 8 and started embracing the idea of a Muslim-Muslim ticket as the most potent strategy to be elected as president in an ethnically and religiously polarised country like Nigeria.

“Traditionally, northern Muslims have voted more than southern Christians, a traditional pattern which Tinubu looked to exploit, particularly as a similar ticket in 1993 saw the election of Moshood Abiola as president despite picking Babagana Kingibe, a northern Muslim, as running mate.

“While the ticket was accepted by Nigerians at the time, the victory was annulled by former dictator Ibrahim Babangida and augured a protracted turmoil across the country.

“Strong intelligence led us to believe that he was passionate about the idea of a Muslim running mate,” the second official, an assistant director at the SSS, said.

“By the time our analysts reassessed the state of the country right now and what would likely come out of a Muslim president and vice-president, everything tilted towards negative and very dangerous times ahead”, the report added still citing anonymous sources.

While the paper claimed that the spokesman for the SSS declined requests to comment on the memo, and both the State House and Tinubu’s campaign headquarters did not respond to requests for comment.

It however claimed that a second official also dismissed questions about whether or not the SSS was injecting itself into uncharted political waters which could warrant serious consequences should Tinubu go on to be elected next February, saying it was after Tinubu had already taken the decision that he informed the president

Concluding, the paper said assurances were given the the SSS was not interfering in political matters.

“We have it in our files that Tinubu went to the president to ask him about who to pick but the president was very reluctant to contribute and Tinubu noticed this before walking away,” the official added. “We have a role to play towards safeguarding national security and our report was not intended as a political intervention,” a source was quoted as having said.

The Presidency in insisting however that no such report has been seen.