In a startling revelation from his newly launched memoir, former presidential spokesperson Garba Shehu has admitted that the infamous 2017 story about rats infesting Aso Rock was a calculated distraction from growing concerns about President Muhammadu Buhari’s health.
The disclosure comes from Chapter 10 of Shehu’s book “According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesperson’s Experience”, titled “Rats, Spin and All That”, launched Tuesday in Abuja. The book details how the administration managed public perception during Buhari’s extended medical leave in London.
“With reporters wanting to know more, the number of calls increased, with some, including the BBC Hausa, interrogating me on the type of rats we had in the Villa that could eat wire cables,” Shehu recounted about the media frenzy that followed his rodent narrative.
The controversy erupted when Buhari returned on August 19, 2017 after 103 days abroad, only for the Presidency to announce he would work from home rather than his office. This fueled speculation, including claims by IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu that a “clone” named Jibrin had replaced Buhari.
Shehu described concocting the rat story after overhearing casual office chatter about cable damage: “Someone speculated that rats may have caused that damage, given that the office was unused for a long time…I said to the reporters that the office needed renovation because rats may have eaten and damaged some cables.”
The tale went globally viral, making BBC World News’ top five stories. Shehu doubled down when pressed, invoking memories of 1980s pest infestations: “I referred them to the strange rats that invaded the country in the 1980s during the rice armada…those rats ate just anything anyone could imagine.”
While the story drew public mockery, Shehu maintained it achieved its goal: “I wanted the discussion to shift to any other issue besides the president’s health…In my view, that spin succeeded.” However, he acknowledged pushback from VP Yemi Osinbajo and Information Minister Lai Mohammed who believed the tactic missed the mark.
Shehu’s admission confirms long-held suspicions about the Buhari administration’s transparency regarding the president’s health challenges during his tenure.
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