Garba Shehu: Villa rat invasion was a disguise for Buhari’s illness
Garba Shehu, the former Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, has disclosed that the widely reported story of rats overrunning the Presidential Villa was a deliberate fabrication designed to distract the public from pressing concerns about Buhari’s health.
This revelation was made during the launch of Shehu’s book, “According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesperson’s Experience,” held in Abuja.
In his remarks, Shehu stated, “I crafted the Villa rat invasion story to divert public attention away from concerns about President Buhari’s health and capacity to govern.”
This tactic was employed during a tumultuous period in 2017, when Buhari was returning to Nigeria after nearly three months of medical treatment in the UK.
Amid rumors fueled by Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, who claimed Buhari had been replaced by a clone named Jibrin from Sudan, public skepticism grew.
The situation reached a peak when the presidency announced that Buhari would be working from home instead of his office, raising further doubts about his condition.
In a particularly revealing chapter entitled “Rats, Spin and All That,” Shehu recounted a conversation overheard during a lunch meeting among top aides.
He said, “So in the few hours of the president’s return, I picked up a conversation in the office of the CoS where speculation arose that rats may have caused damage to some cables.”
As the fabricated story gained traction, it quickly went viral, with Shehu noting, “The number of calls increased… I referred them to the strange rats that invaded the country in the 1980s during the rice armada.”
Despite his attempt to deflect attention, some critics accused Shehu of trying to cover up the reality of the president’s deteriorating health.
During a follow-up meeting with key officials like the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Shehu defended his actions, stating, “I wanted the discussion to shift, to move to any other issue besides the president’s health.” However, he acknowledged their disagreement, illustrating the precarious nature of managing public perception during a politically sensitive time.
Source: PUNCH
