Dispute emerges over alleged presidential scrutiny of vice‑president’s staff appointments

Conflicting accounts of a delayed memo Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawand, told a Symfoni TV interview that a memorandum containing roughly twenty‑eight names for Vice‑President Yemi Osinbajo’s office was held up for about three months. According to Lawand, the delay was caused by the late Chief of Staff Abba Kyari, who allegedly did not forward the document to President Muhammadu Buhari. Lawand says he obtained a photocopy of the memo and presented it directly to Buhari, who marked most of the names with a green pen and remarked that the nominees were all Yoruba and members of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), a church where Osinbajo serves as a senior pastor. Lawand claims that after he appealed to the president, citing Osinbajo’s recent arrival from Lagos, Buhari approved the list.

Former spokesperson refutes the narrative Laolu Akande, who served as Osinbajo’s spokesperson during the Buhari administration, issued a statement rejecting Lawand’s version of events. Akande described the allegation that Buhari questioned the ethnicity of the vice‑president’s aides as a complete fabrication. He asserted that there was no memo containing more than twenty names and that Osinbajo routinely submitted appointment lists directly to Buhari for approval. According to Akande, the vice‑president’s chief of staff, Ade Ipaye, communicated the approved appointments to the relevant agencies, and the Secretary to the Government was not involved in that process. Akande also highlighted that Buhari publicly praised Osinbajo’s conduct during the 2022 presidential campaign, contradicting any suggestion that the president found the vice‑president’s ambitions or appointments immoral.

Context and reactions Lawand’s account adds that Buhari was concerned Osinbajo might adopt a patronage style of appointments similar to that of political heavyweight Bola Tinubu if he were to become president. The former SGF said Buhari’s unease stemmed from the perceived concentration of RCCG members among the proposed staff. In contrast, Akande’s response emphasized that the appointment procedure was straightforward, verifiable, and did not involve the SGF. He also reiterated that Buhari had, on several occasions, offered personal support for Osinbajo’s presidential aspirations, further challenging Lawand’s portrayal of a strained relationship.

No independent verification Both narratives were published by Nigerian news outlets on 17 October 2026. Legit.ng reported Lawand’s claims, while Punch and Sahara Reporters relayed Akande’s rebuttal and additional details about the alleged memo. Neither source provided independent documentation of the memorandum or the president’s handwritten notes, leaving the dispute unresolved in the public record.

The competing statements illustrate a broader tension over how senior appointments were managed in the latter years of the Buhari administration, with former officials offering divergent recollections of the decision‑making process.