The newly unveiled volume From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari promises to answer some of the most sensitive and persistent questions that shadowed Muhammadu Buhari’s years in power. The book — presented publicly and heavily trailed on social and mainstream outlets — raises allegations and supplies insider explanations for episodes that shaped Nigerian politics: extended medical leaves, the sudden sacking of a security chief, claims of a shadowy “cabal” controlling levers of power, controversies around the Central Bank, and even whether Buhari’s signature and speeches were altered. It also addresses the question many Nigerians asked in July 2025: what exactly killed Muhammadu Buhari?
Below I summarize the book’s answers, and — crucially — show which claims are corroborated by independent reporting, which remain authorial assertions, and where public evidence is thin or contested.
1. What was wrong with Buhari when he was sick in 2017–2018?
Book’s claim (summary): The book reiterates that Buhari experienced a prolonged health challenge that required repeated medical trips to London in 2016–2018. It frames those absences as real medical interventions rather than political theatre.
Independent record: Buhari’s extended medical leave in 2017 (and other trips) was widely reported at the time. International outlets documented his stays in the UK for medical treatment and the domestic controversy they produced over transparency and constitutional authority during long presidential absences. Al Jazeera and other outlets covered his return after more than three months in the UK in 2017. These sources confirm prolonged, undisclosed medical treatment but stop short of confirming specific diagnoses in the public domain.
Takeaway: The book’s account aligns with contemporaneous reporting that Buhari underwent extended treatment abroad; however, clinical details remain private and were not publicly documented beyond official statements describing “medical treatment.”
2. What were the internal intrigues behind the sack of Lawal Daura as DSS boss?
Book’s claim: The book asserts that Daura’s dismissal in 2018 was the product of internal palace politics and overreach by the DSS under his watch — an attempt by executive insiders to reset the presidency’s shape.
Independent record: Nigerian press from 2018 reported Daura’s removal as tied to actions “beyond his powers” — notably the controversial raid on the National Assembly — and to internal disquiet about how the Service acted. Vanguard and other outlets reported that the sack was intended to “reset the shape and structure” of the presidency.
Takeaway: The book’s framing tracks mainstream reporting: Daura’s abrupt exit followed a series of heavy-handed security moves and raised questions about chain-of-command and political influence within the state security apparatus.
3. What was the role of the “Cabal” in shaping Buhari’s presidency? Why did they fight his family to a standstill?
Book’s claim: The authors devote substantial space to what they call “the Cabal” — a network of advisors, political actors and power brokers they say skewed decision-making, captured institutions, and even clashed publicly with Buhari’s immediate family.
Independent record: The term “cabal” has long been used in Nigerian political commentary to describe opaque inner circles (and has appeared in public debate about Buhari). Former aides and critics have alleged undue influence by certain aides and political operators, and Aisha Buhari herself and other insiders have at times expressed disquiet about appointees and powerful intermediaries. While the book codifies and names internal disputes, outside reporting usually documents the effects (policy paralysis, factional fights) rather than providing a courtroom-style dossier proving an organized conspiracy.
Takeaway: The existence of factional power-brokers is well documented; whether they operated as a monolithic “cabal” with coordinated capture plans is a credible hypothesis but relies heavily on insider testimony and interpretation provided in the book.
4. What was the plan of the Cabal for the APC presidential primaries before it was thwarted?
Book’s claim: The book alleges a pre-primary manoeuvre by insiders to impose a preferred candidate; the plot was foiled hours before the event.
Independent record: Political skulduggery around party primaries is a longstanding pattern in Nigerian politics and has been reported across election cycles. However, specifics of a narrowly foiled plan — who plotted, how they were stopped — are the kind of insider revelations that the book claims to provide; mainstream press coverage typically lacks the granular evidence to corroborate every such internal manoeuvre.
Takeaway: The book offers insider narrative; corroboration in public reporting is partial and largely circumstantial.
5. How was the CBN captured by the Cabal?
Book’s claim: The volume argues that the Cabal exerted outsized influence over monetary appointments and policy, enabling a capture of the Central Bank’s operations for political ends.
Independent record: High-profile disputes at the CBN continued after Buhari left office: the aftermath saw investigations and charges against CBN leadership (for example, the high-profile case of Godwin Emefiele that was reported and pursued after Buhari’s presidency). Reporting by outlets such as Africanews documents serious allegations against the CBN’s leadership and probes into conduct — demonstrating that governance failures and alleged capture of the CBN were public concerns.
Takeaway: The book’s claim about CBN capture dovetails with later investigative and prosecutorial attention to CBN conduct; that said, the causal narrative (exactly how and by whom capture occurred) rests primarily on the book’s insider testimony.
6. Was Buhari’s signature forged?
Book’s claim: The book addresses persistent rumours that critical documents might have been signed without Buhari’s personal consent.
Independent record: The book reportedly states explicitly that Buhari personally signed documents (i.e., no forgery or stamp substitute), and media reports about the book repeated that assertion. Leadership and other outlets summarised the book’s claim that “there was no forged signature.”
Takeaway: According to authors and those present at the book presentation, the forged-signature allegation is denied; outside investigators or forensic reports have not (publicly) produced a contrary finding.
7–8. Was Buhari’s office and bedroom bugged? Were his speeches being swapped?
Book’s claim: The book alleges security lapses — including bugging — and that speech drafts were sometimes replaced or edited by others.
Independent record: These are explosive claims; the book is one of the few public sources making them in a detailed way. Press coverage of the book reproduces the allegation, but independent verification (e.g., forensic counterintelligence findings) has not been published publicly. Given the sensitive nature, these claims are plausible in an environment where leaks and manipulation have occurred, but they remain primarily dependent on the book’s witnesses.
Takeaway: Alarming if true — the claims are part of the book’s insider narrative but lack independent, public forensic confirmation.
9. What were Buhari’s instructions during EndSARS?
Book’s claim: The book claims to reveal what Buhari instructed his team during the 2020 EndSARS protests — whether to de-escalate, authorize force, or otherwise.
Independent record: Reporting at the time documented mixed signals from the presidency and security forces, and subsequent inquiries looked at how protests were handled. The book’s account adds color and assigns responsibility differently from public statements; however, formal judicial or commission findings (where they exist) remain central to validating any authoritative claim about orders given.
Takeaway: The book supplies an insider version; readers should weigh it with official inquiry reports and contemporaneous documentation.
10. What killed Buhari in July 2025?
Book’s claim: According to the book and its authorial synopsis, Buhari’s death resulted from a prolonged illness for which he had been treated in London. The book appears to treat the death as the medical culmination of chronic conditions rather than an acute or politically-linked incident.
Independent record: Major international and Nigerian outlets reported that Muhammadu Buhari died in London on 13 July 2025 following a prolonged illness; governments and the presidency described his death as resulting from ongoing medical problems and treatment abroad. Reuters, AP and Al Jazeera carried consistent accounts, describing hospital treatment in London and a prolonged illness as the official explanation.
Takeaway: The contemporaneous reporting supports the book’s broad statement that Buhari’s death followed a prolonged illness treated in London. The book adds personal and contextual detail about his final months; nothing in public reporting suggests a contrary cause.
Final assessment: how to read the book
From Soldier to Statesman is an insider chronicle that fills gaps, supplies names, and offers an interpretive narrative of power inside Buhari’s presidency. Where the book aligns with contemporaneous reporting — extended medical treatment abroad, the controversies around Daura, public concern about powerful intermediaries, and later probes into the CBN — its claims are strengthened. Where it makes specific forensic or operational allegations (bugging, speech swapping, a narrowly thwarted primary plot), those remain powerful testimonials but require independent corroboration for full historic certainty.
For journalists, researchers and informed citizens: use the book as a primary source of insider testimony. Cross-check its most consequential claims against official records, contemporaneous reporting, judicial or investigative findings, and (where possible) documentary or forensic evidence. When the book denies the forged-signature rumours and when mainstream sources report Buhari’s death as due to prolonged illness treated in London, there is meaningful convergence between the book and independent reporting. Where the book advances more explosive claims, treat those as important leads to be verified.
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