Strong indications have emerged that former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Gwabin Musa (retired), is the leading candidate to be named Nigeria’s next Minister of Defence.
This development follows the sudden resignation of Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar.
Top security sources told Western Post that General Musa’s Monday evening visit to the Presidential Villa – his first since being relieved of his position – is directly connected to ongoing consultations about filling the now-vacant defence portfolio.
The retired military chief arrived at the Villa dressed in traditional northern attire and immediately entered a closed-door meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
While the presidency has not officially confirmed the purpose of the meeting, sources familiar with the development told the aforementioned platform that Musa is strongly being considered as Badaru’s replacement.
“His background and experience make him a natural fit at this critical period,” one source said.
Analysts argue that his potential appointment would fulfill long-standing demands for the Defence Ministry to be overseen by an individual with deep security expertise, especially as the nation faces escalating security challenges, including the abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi, an assault on worshippers in Eruku, Kwara State, and the kidnapping of Catholic schoolchildren in Minna.
General Musa was relieved of his position as CDS in October, following reports of an alleged aborted coup attempt, though no official explanation was issued at the time.
His meeting with the President occurred just hours after the announcement that Defence Minister Badaru Abubakar had resigned on health grounds.
President Tinubu has accepted the resignation and is expected to forward a nominee to the Senate later this week.
With the President’s recent declaration of a national security emergency, the choice of a new Defence Minister is widely regarded as pivotal to shaping the administration’s security strategy.
General Musa’s name, according to insiders, has now moved to the top of the list of considerations.
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