Inside Buhari’s Presidency: Daughter Alleges Forged Documents and Manipulated Directives

Fatima Buhari, daughter of former President Muhammadu Buhari, has alleged that her father’s signature was forged on official documents and that some of his directives and speeches were altered without his approval during his time in office.

The claims are contained in From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, a biography written by Charles Omole. Fatima, a forensic auditor, said she examined several documents attributed to her father and identified what she described as forged signatures. She reportedly presented some of the documents to Buhari, drawing his attention to discrepancies she believed indicated falsification.

According to the biography, concerns about forged presidential signatures were not limited to Fatima alone, as others within the system had also raised similar issues. She, however, maintained that the practice was not unique to the Buhari administration, noting that previous governments had faced comparable challenges within the bureaucracy.

The book further alleges that some of Buhari’s approved speeches and official directives were altered before they were delivered or released to the public. In one instance recounted in the biography, Buhari was said to have noticed during a trip to the United States that the speech he was reading at a conference was not the version he had approved. Realising the changes mid-delivery, he reportedly set the script aside and spoke in his own words.

The author described these incidents as part of a broader pattern in which presidential instructions were “diluted in transit,” statements rephrased to suit other interests, and original intentions subtly reshaped as documents moved through layers of officialdom. While some of these lapses were attributed to the complexities of a large bureaucracy, the book suggested that others were the work of a small clique within the system.

The biography also revealed that Buhari believed his official residence at the Presidential Villa was under surveillance. According to the account, he sometimes avoided speaking openly in his office, instead communicating through written notes due to fears that listening devices had been planted.

The author added that some security chiefs who served under Buhari confirmed that unusual objects were discovered in the president’s office and bedroom during routine security sweeps, reinforcing his suspicions.

The revelations offer a rare, personal insight into the inner workings of Buhari’s presidency, raising fresh questions about internal control, document integrity, and the influence of unelected actors within Nigeria’s highest office of power.