Fatima Buhari, first daughter of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, has accused Tunde Sabiu, former private secretary to the president, of wielding significant influence in the Presidential Villa by controlling the flow of documents, managing access, and exercising authority beyond his official responsibilities.
The allegation appears in From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, a biography by Charles Omole.
Fatima said she was not spreading anonymous rumours but recounting what she personally observed and heard while her father served as Nigeria’s number one citizen.
According to her account, stories about Sabiu, who was also Buhari’s nephew, circulated widely. She recalled a foreign visitor joking in a film clip that it was impossible to see the president without Sabiu’s approval.
Several ministers also reportedly acted as though only Sabiu could facilitate progress on government matters.
“There was a clear fear within the administration that offending Sabiu could stall or completely halt official initiatives,” Fatima said.
“Tunde… had a hold on most of the ministers,” she added, in an account she said was corroborated by other sources who spoke with The Cable.
Fatima explained that while the role of a private secretary naturally confers chokepoint power, it also carries the constant temptation to overreach.
“He was overbearing,” she said.
Fatima recounted that on at least one occasion, her father pushed back against Sabiu’s influence.
“In front of me, there’s a time that Baba shouted at Tunde,” she said, describing the episode as a rare public correction by a leader who typically preferred persuasion to rebuke.
Despite this, she said the broader structure of access control endured, allowing those who controlled the “gate” to impose what she described as a toll on official business.
Fatima, a forensic auditor, also raised concerns about alleged forged signatures during her father’s administration.
She said she reviewed documents and showed her father examples of fake signatures appended to his name.
While noting that others raised similar alarms, she said she did not identify who she believed was responsible for forging the president’s signature.
However, Fatima emphasised that forgery was not unique to the Buhari presidency, noting that previous administrations also experienced similar problems.