Inside The 2023 Race: Gambari Details Buhari’s Pre-Election Meeting With Northern Governors

Former Chief of Staff to the late ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, has revealed that Buhari explicitly told 19 northern governors that he had not endorsed or “anointed” any successor ahead of the 2023 presidential election.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Gambari said the disclosure occurred during a closed-door meeting with the governors, who had earlier agreed that power should shift to the South and had formally signed a declaration to that effect.

Speaking on Monday, February 2, 2026, during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Gambari explained that the meeting was specifically convened to clarify whether Buhari had already chosen a preferred candidate to succeed him.

According to Gambari, the northern governors requested the audience to ascertain Buhari’s position after they had agreed that the presidency should move to the South.

“The 19 northern state governors came to Buhari after they had made a declaration that the next president of Nigeria should come from the South, and they signed it,” he said.

He added that the governors wanted to know whether Buhari, as leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), had already decided on a successor.

“They now said they wanted to see the President. And when I told him, he asked, ‘What about?’ I said they want to know whether you have an anointed candidate, as you are their leader,” Gambari stated.

‘I Was at the Meeting’
Gambari stressed that his account is based on personal observation, as he was present throughout the meeting.

“I was at that meeting, and I would like to speak about what I know. They are all witnesses,” he said.

He also disclosed that he personally relayed the governors’ question to Buhari and used the opportunity to seek clarity for himself.

“They came, and I went to tell him, ‘Your guests are here. They want to know if you have an anointed candidate for president or the party nomination. By the way, I, as your Chief of Staff, would like to know too,’” Gambari revealed.

Buhari’s Direct Response
According to Gambari, Buhari’s answer was straightforward and clear:

“He said, ‘I do not have an anointed candidate for president to be a successor.’ I advised him to relay the same message directly to the governors, and he did,” Gambari said.

He emphasized that Buhari did not believe in imposing or anointing a successor.

“He didn’t feel that he should have anointed a candidate,” Gambari added.

Addressing claims that Buhari may have privately encouraged some aspirants, including former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, Gambari said he could not speak for any private conversations outside the meeting.

“Of course, people can interpret what he told them in private. I wasn’t privy to that,” he said.

However, Gambari maintained that Buhari’s public and official stance before the governors was unmistakable.

“But clearly, what he said on record, in the presence of the 19 northern state governors, is what I know,” he added.

Naija News recalls that in June 2022, both Amaechi and Osinbajo contested the APC presidential primary but lost to the party’s national leader and former Lagos State governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who went on to win the 2023 presidential election, defeating former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of the PDP and Labour Party candidate Peter Obi.

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