Gambari: Buhari was unhappy he couldn’t solve insecurity before leaving office
Ibrahim Gambari, former chief of staff to Muhammadu Buhari, says the late president was deeply troubled by his inability to fully resolve Nigeria’s security challenges before leaving office.
Gambari spoke on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ on Monday.
He relayed that Buhari took comfort in gains against Boko Haram but remained worried about persistent insecurity elsewhere.
“One of the things that pained him the most is that he was unable to do more about the security situation in the country before he left,” Gambari said.
“He did a lot by making sure that no territory of Nigeria was under Boko Haram.”
Gambari said banditry and violent attacks in the north-west and parts of the north-central continued to trouble the former president.
“The situation in the north-west, in the north-central, even in banditry, it pained him a lot,” he said.
“And he felt, ‘I’ve done everything I can for these people’.
“He even said at some point that maybe the base was not good enough.”
Gambari dismissed reports of coup threats towards the end of the Buhari administration, saying no such intelligence was brought to his attention.
“Honestly, I’m not aware of that,” he said.
“The president had many sources of information. The chief of staff is probably a principal one, but not the only one.
“He could have received information that I was not privy to.”
Gambari said Buhari, who ruled Nigeria as military head of state and civilian president, maintained close ties with the armed forces but operated strictly within constitutional limits.
He said Buhari was loyal to individuals who played key roles in his personal and political journey.
Gambari added that those who benefited most from Nigeria were often the least committed to its stability.
According to him, every administration has a cabal but noted that Buhari’s inner circle understood its boundaries.
Gambari also said Buhari did not believe in imposing a successor in the 2023 general election.
He said Buhari insisted that party members and voters should determine leadership choices.
Buhari served as Nigeria’s elected president from 2015 to 2023 after ruling as military head of state between 1983 and 1985.
He died on July 13, 2025, aged 82, after a prolonged illness.
