Badaru Abubakar, the former Minister of Defence, has denied a malicious, false, and baseless online publication circulating about the reasons behind his resignation.
The viral report falsely claimed that Abubakar stepped down because he could not “stand and watch the US and President Bola Tinubu government bombing our brothers in the forest.”
READ ALSO: Tinubu nominates Musa to Senate as Badaru’s replacement for Defence Minister.
In a rejoinder released yesterday, Abubakar stated that the publication was entirely fabricated, deliberately mischievous, and did not originate from him or from any authorised representative acting on his behalf.
He said the clear intent of the false narrative was to tarnish his reputation, “sow discord between me and the Commander-in-Chief, Tinubu,” and create “needless distractions” from governance.
Abubakar stressed that the actual and legitimate reasons for his resignation were formally communicated to the President and later made public through conventional and social media.
“Any suggestion of an alternative or inflammatory motive is a complete falsehood engineered by mischief makers,” he said.
The former Minister reassured Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership, and Nigerians of his continued loyalty.
READ ALSO: Defence minister Badaru resigns, cites health issues
He added that his commitment to the Renewed Hope Agenda remains unwavering, reaffirming his full support for the success of the APC, particularly as the 2027 general elections approach.
The New Daily Prime reported that Badaru resigned his appointment over health conditions in a letter sent to Tinubu on December 1.
The resignation of the 63-year-old takes immediate effect and Tinubu accepted the resignation and thanked him for his services to the nation.
Badaru was a two-term governor of Jigawa state from 2015 to 2023 before he was appointed as a minister on August 21, 2023, by Tinubu.
Before his resignation, Tinubu appointed him and others to represent the country in the newly established US–Nigeria Joint Working Group, created to address security challenges in Nigeria.
The creation of the Joint Working Group was agreed during a recent visit to Washington, D.C., where a Nigerian delegation headed by Ribadu met with senior US officials amid rising concern over the scale of violence unfolding across Nigeria.
