‘Let Buhari Rest In Peace’, El-Rufai Condemns ‘Divisive Book Launch’ In Aso Rock

Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, has issued a passionate appeal to Nigerians, particularly those who once worked closely with the late President Muhammadu Buhari, to stop politicising his legacy and “allow him to rest in peace.”

In a statement released from Cairo, Egypt, El-Rufai expressed disappointment over what he described as the “renewed divisions and selective storytelling” that emerged during the launch of a new book on Buhari’s life and leadership titled “Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari” in Aso Rock on Monday.

The book written by Dr. Charles Omole, launched at the State House on Monday, has raised several discussions and headlines from revelations made by the late president’s friends and relatives, including his wife, Aisha Buhari and his daughter, Fatima Buhari.

According to El-Rufai, the event, which brought together several of Buhari’s former associates and political allies, revealed “the same factional lines that existed during Buhari’s lifetime.”

“One camp was prominently represented, while others, equally close to the late president—were excluded,” he said. “This selective engagement, compounded by the choice of location of the event, raises concerns about whether Buhari’s legacy is now being shaped to serve narrow interests rather than historical truth.”

El-Rufai also criticised the inclusion of individuals who were known critics of Buhari’s administration but have now turned around to lavish praise on the late leader.

“It was unsettling to see individuals celebrating Buhari in death who had neither his trust nor his respect in life,” he stated. “These are individuals who once blamed his administration for nearly every challenge facing Nigeria, but who now appear eager to revise history—perhaps to deflect responsibility for present failures.”

While clarifying that he was yet to read the book, El-Rufai cautioned against “one-sided and unfair” portrayals of Buhari’s presidency through selective anecdotes.

“Explaining the thoughts and motivations of a complex leader through selective anecdotes risks distorting, rather than preserving, his legacy,” he warned.

Reflecting on his long association with the late president, El-Rufai acknowledged that Buhari’s administration had shortcomings but insisted that many of them were “the result of the actions and failures of a powerful inner circle, relatives, advisers, and officials who did not always share his commitment to integrity and public service.”

Despite these flaws, El-Rufai described Buhari as “a man of deep faith, personal discipline, and unquestioned patriotism.” He urged Nigerians to honour him not through revisionism but through a genuine commitment to his core values.

“Those now invoking his name for self-justification should reflect on whether they can claim the same standards,” he said.

“The truest way to honour him is not through selective storytelling or attempting to exhibit new-found love, but by upholding the values he embodied: simplicity, integrity, humility, and service to Nigeria with all he had.”

El-Rufai concluded his statement with a solemn prayer, “May Allah grant him eternal rest.”