By John Ademola | PressPoint News


ABUJA — Retired Nigerian Army Major General Danjuma Hamisu Ali-Keffi has alleged that two prominent figures within the All Progressives Congress (APC) attempted to obtain confidential records on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from United States government agencies ahead of the party’s 2022 presidential primary.

Ali-Keffi, a former General Officer Commanding the Nigerian Army’s 1 Division, made the allegation in an interview with SaharaReporters while discussing events surrounding the emergence of Tinubu as the APC’s presidential candidate for the 2023 general election.


According to the retired general, the alleged attempt was brought to his attention by former Director of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Modibbo Hamman-Tukur, during the period leading up to the APC presidential primary.


Ali-Keffi claimed that individuals opposed to Tinubu’s emergence allegedly entered the NFIU director’s office without authorisation and sent communications to US government agencies requesting confidential information concerning the former Lagos State governor.


He specifically linked the alleged request to issues relating to terrorism financing, although he stressed that he did not personally know the contents of any records allegedly requested or received from the United States.

The retired general said Hamman-Tukur subsequently became uncomfortable with the development and went to his office at about 2am, after which the individuals allegedly involved realised his presence and left.

Ali-Keffi further alleged that a response was later received from the United States regarding the request.

However, he was careful not to claim that the alleged documents contained evidence of wrongdoing by Tinubu.


“I don’t know what the record is or related to current issues regarding his forfeiture and other issues, if I am not mistaken,” he said, according to the report.


The retired general said officials of the NFIU allegedly connected to the incident were later dismissed and that the matter eventually became the subject of legal proceedings.

He also alleged that former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, was aware of some of the information relating to the alleged request for Tinubu’s records.


According to Ali-Keffi, El-Rufai and other influential political figures were aware of the matter but opposed allowing confidential information to be used against Tinubu.

Ali-Keffi argued that had the alleged information been made public before the APC primary, it could have affected Tinubu’s chances of securing the party’s presidential ticket.

Tinubu ultimately emerged as the APC presidential candidate after winning the party’s June 2022 presidential primary with 1,271 votes.


The retired general also recounted an alleged conversation involving former Federal Inland Revenue Service chairman, Muhammad Nami, and an unnamed minister who he said was initially opposed to Tinubu’s emergence.

According to Ali-Keffi, the minister warned that Tinubu could target certain individuals if he eventually became president. He said Nami nevertheless argued in favour of power shifting to the South, citing national unity.


Ali-Keffi said this political calculation eventually influenced his own decision to support Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election.

The former army commander, however, said he now regrets voting for Tinubu and stated that he would not support the APC in the next election.


The allegations come amid renewed political debates over Tinubu’s political history, his emergence as the APC’s presidential candidate and controversies surrounding records reportedly held by US authorities.

PressPoint News notes that the claims concerning the alleged attempt to obtain Tinubu’s US records remain allegations attributed to Ali-Keffi. The retired general did not disclose the contents of the alleged US response, nor did he establish that the records contained evidence of criminal wrongdoing by Tinubu. His account, as reported, was substantially based on information he said he received from former NFIU Director Modibbo Hamman-Tukur.



PressPoint News

Get the story. Get the point.