Retired General Alleges APC Leaders Secretly Sought Tinubu’s US Records Before 2023 Primaries

Retired Nigerian Army Major General Danjuma Hamisu Ali-Keffi has alleged that two prominent members of the All Progressives Congress who opposed President Bola Tinubu’s presidential ambition secretly sought to obtain his confidential records from United States government agencies ahead of the 2023 election.

Ali-Keffi, a former General Officer Commanding 1 Division of the Nigerian Army, said the alleged attempt was brought to his attention by Modibbo Hamman-Tukur, the former Director of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), during the period leading up to the APC presidential primary.

According to the retired general, the individuals allegedly gained unauthorised access to the NFIU director’s office and sent requests to American government agencies for information concerning Tinubu on issues related to terrorism financing.

“Two prominent APC people who were against Tinubu entered illegally into the office of NFIU director and sent messages to the US government agencies requesting confidential records of Bola Ahmed Tinubu on those issues – terrorism financing,” Ali-Keffi said.

He claimed Hamman-Tukur became uncomfortable with the development and subsequently went to his office at about 2am, after which those allegedly involved realised he had arrived and left. Ali-Keffi further claimed that a response from the United States was subsequently received concerning the request, though he maintained he did not know the contents of the records allegedly sought or supplied.

The retired general stressed that his account was based on information provided to him by the former NFIU director, and he did not claim that the records established any wrongdoing by Tinubu. He also alleged that NFIU officials connected to the matter were later dismissed and that the controversy subsequently became the subject of legal proceedings.

Ali-Keffi further alleged that former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai was aware of the operation and some of the information allegedly received from the United States. According to him, El-Rufai and other influential figures had access to information concerning the matter but opposed using confidential material against Tinubu.

The retired general said his own decision to support Tinubu at the time was influenced partly by El-Rufai’s argument that power should move from the North to the South in the interest of national unity.

Ali-Keffi suggested that if the alleged documents had been made public at the time, they could have affected Tinubu’s chances of securing the APC presidential ticket. “Had people like the former NFIU Director and people like El-Rufai who were in the know, who were aware of that documents that were sent in respect of candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had they allowed it to get to public domain at that time, I believe it would have perhaps hurt the candidacy of Ahmed Bola Tinubu. Certainly, he wouldn’t have gotten the ticket to fly the flag of APC at that time,” Ali-Keffi said.

The retired general also recounted an alleged conversation involving former Federal Inland Revenue Service Chairman Muhammad Nami and an unnamed influential minister who was initially opposed to Tinubu’s emergence, with the minister warning that Tinubu would eventually target certain individuals if he became president.

However, the retired general said he has since become dissatisfied with his decision and declared he would not support the APC in the next election. “I regret actually voting for him. I’m not going to vote APC next election,” he declared.