I circulated fake news to divert Nigerians attention from President Buhari’s health crisis: Garba Shehu

Ex-President Buhari (L) with Garba Shehu

Former presidential spokesperson Garba Shehu has confessed to deliberately spreading fake news in 2017 about rats damaging President Muhammadu Buhari’s office. The narrative, which gained widespread attention at the time, was intended to deflect scrutiny over the president’s prolonged absence and lingering health concerns.

In his newly released memoir, According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesperson’s Experience, Shehu revealed the origins of the misleading claim. In Chapter 10, titled “Rats, Spin and All That,” he recounts overhearing a casual conversation in the Chief of Staff’s office about minor cable damage possibly caused by rodents. Seizing on this speculation, he told reporters thŕat rats had damaged the office, necessitating renovations and forcing the president to work from home.

Shehu openly admitted that the decision to propagate the story was strategic. With rising public pressure and questions surrounding Mr. Buhari’s fitness for office, he saw an opportunity to divert the national conversation. “The choice I made was deliberate,” Shehu wrote. “I wanted the discussion to shift… to any other issue besides the president’s health and his ability to continue in office.”

However, the tactic was met with internal criticism. According to Shehu, both then Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, challenged him on why he had chosen to push the misleading account. He maintained that the strategy had served its purpose by redirecting public discourse, though both officials reportedly disagreed, calling the spin “well off the mark.”

Shehu’s admission sheds new light on the extent to which top government aides were willing to manipulate public perception during President Buhari’s tenure. It also underscores the growing concerns over the use of misinformation by state actors to shield leadership from accountability and suppress uncomfortable truths.

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