"How I Begged Tinubu For Buhari’s Ticket In 2011" -- Ex-NSA Dasuki

The just past National Security Adviser (NSA) retired Col. Sambo Dasuki, practically contributed to the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari to actualise his political dreams on various occasions between 2003 and 2011.

This latest revelation was made by an Abuja-based blogger, syndicate writer and public relations consultant to Dasuki when he was the NSA, Mr. Yushau Shuaib, in a piece he posted on his blog titled “Sambo Dasuki: An Encounter with the Spymaster”.

Shuaib, who acknowledged that Dasuki was his benefactor, said in the course of his official interaction with the former NSA, he (Dasuki) told him how he particularly at a point pleaded with a national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to allow Buhari emerge as the joint presidential candidate of the defunct ACN and CPC in 2011.

“Curiously, there were very few top functionaries who stood by me too and showed support during the critical period of my life. Sambo Dasuki, the former National Security Adviser (NSA) was one of them.

“The major shocker for me in his narratives was his campaign for Buhari to emerge the joint candidate of ACN and CPC in 2011. He disclosed how he pleaded with Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu in the presence of Bisi Akande to accept Muhammad Buhari as the joint Presidential candidate for ACN and CPC. Dasuki stated that he knelt down begging ‘Baba Bisi Akande’ who was then chairman of ACN that ‘General Buhari is a man to be trusted’.

“On his roles in politics, Sambo Dasuki narrated how he supported the campaign aspiration of Muhammadu Buhari for Presidential elections in 2003, 2007 and 2011. In fact, he mentioned names of individuals who were also privy to his active involvement including respected Northern elements like Adamu Adamu, Bashir Kurfi, Wada Maida, Sule Hamman and Kabir Yusuf among others,” he revealed.

“During our first encounter, I was furiously criticising everything about President Jonathan and his administration. Dasuki was very attentive, probably thinking that my bitterness was informed by my sudden exit from the service.

“In the course of our occasional interactions, Dasuki was always open and transparent about information. He once told me how himself and two young military officers (they are still alive) travelled to Jos to brief Major General Buhari who was then the GOC of 3rd Armoured Division on the furtherance of the planning of the 1983 coup which made Buhari the major beneficiary of the ouster of the elected President Shehu Shagari. He even told me how Buhari expressed his bitterness about insinuations on his stewardship in one of the public institutions. Dasuki assured the then GOC not to worry about such reckless and mischievous insinuations.

“I asked why he participated in the ouster of Buhari just less than two years afterward? He simply answered that General Buhari should know whom he should blame,” Shuaib said.

Recall that Dasuki was placed under house arrest at his Asokoro residence in Abuja on the eve of Sallah Day last week Thursday for about 24 hours by operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS), which later said it recovered riffles, $40,000 cash and 12 posh cars in the ex-NSA’s house without evidence of ownership.

The development caused insinuations in some quarters that Dasuki was being punished by President Buhari to avenge his roles in the 1985 military coup d’etat that ousted Buhari as head of state on that year’s Sallah eve.