‘Why Buhari Didn’t Name Successor Before Leaving Office’, Ex-DSS DG Bichi Reveals

Former Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Bichi, has explained reasons why late former President Muhammadu Buhari refused to name or anoint a successor ahead of the 2022 All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary election.

Bichi disclosed, in a new book titled ‘From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari’, written by Dr Charles Omole, director-general of the Institute for Police and Security Policy Research (IPSPR), and presented in Abuja, that the former president withheld endorsement to protect lives, avert security threats and preserve unity within the ruling party.

According to Bichi, Buhari’s silence during the intense intra-party contest was not a sign of detachment, but a carefully considered security decision informed by intelligence assessments at the time.

He said openly endorsing a successor could have exposed the individual to grave danger, including the risk of assassination, given the volatility of the political environment.

“In those months, knives were out; politically and, as security professionals know too well, sometimes literally,” Bichi said.

“To name an anointed heir would be to paint a target on a human being and to foreclose a process that, for all its imperfections, was designed to distribute risk.”

The former DSS boss added that Buhari chose to absorb criticism for being aloof to shield lives and maintain a fragile equilibrium within the APC, whose factions could have been further destabilised by an open endorsement.

President Bola Tinubu eventually emerged as the APC presidential candidate and went on to win the 2023 presidential election, succeeding Buhari.

The book presentation, held at the Presidential Villa, Aso Rock, was attended by President Tinubu, Gambian President Adama Barrow, governors, ministers, political leaders, diplomats, traditional rulers, as well as members of Buhari’s family and associates.