Will VP OSINBAJO Run With ABACHA's C.S.O AL-MUSTAPHA For 2023 Presidential Race?

There is a rumour that has been making the rounds for months that Major Al-Mustapha will be running with Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, come 2003. So real is the rumour that there are so many groups with the name Osinbajo Al-Mustapha 2023. The call for Major-Al Mustapha to run along with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in the forthcoming elections has become intense as a cross-section of northern power bloc believes that the Vice Presidency of Mustapha will further strengthen the check they intend to place in the scheme of things, should a southerner emerge as President in 2023.

The team-up between VP Osinbajo and Major Mustapha, according to those who support the union, is a man that is vastly knowledgeable in the economy and another man that understands the security intelligence of rebuilding a better and united Nigeria.  As far as the APC is concerned, they will need to redraw the electoral map ahead of 2023 to account for Buhari’s absence in governance and only someone that is an insider can help to rebuild the Hopes of Nigerians.

There is no doubt that the Vice-President has the experience and mature disposition required to govern a multi-ethnic society like Nigeria. He has been considered as an upright man who stands on the pillar of truth and social justice, who will bring the country out of its present socio-economic problems when he finally becomes the President of Nigeria. But how well do we know Major Al-Mustapha?

Maj. Hamza Al Mustapha, was the Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the late military head of state, Gen. Sani Abacha. There were indications that Al-Mustapha was the operating brainbox in general Abacha’s administration. He was seen as highly sensitive and intelligent and understood General Abacha’s body language on many issues. Without Abacha uttering a word, Al-Mustapha knew what to do on any issue of national interest. He was one of Abacha’s best hands.

Even in death, Al-Mustapha’s loyalty to his late boss remained intact. His highly disciplined and morally principled nature draws him to many political elites, as they are sure, once Al-Mustapha is on your side, you can go to bed with both eyes closed.

Beyond his love for a united Nigeria, Al-Mustapha is also a custodian of many confidential narratives about the Nigerian government. He was once quoted to have stated that his concern is patriotism and true love for the country as well as a desire to invest and allow our institutions to stay rather than forcing them into decay. He is aware of the role of everyone in the struggle for democracy and knows the strengths and weaknesses of most of the crusaders-cum-politicians, both then and now. Although he rarely makes news headlines or grants an interview, there are many pointers that Al-Mustapha is very close to the President, and also shares privileged conversations with him.

Despite the grave allegation of M.KO’s wife’s death hanging on his neck, Al Mustapha has kept his head above his shoulder and walks tall within the corridor of power. Al-Mustapha had on many fronts, declared that the insinuation that he killed Kudirat was a ploy by some people in government to soil his image in others to cover up for their atrocities after Abacha died.

Hamza Al-Mustapha was an army major and intelligence officer who served as Chief Security Officer to military Head of state General Sani Abacha from 1993 to 1998. He was born and educated in Nguru. He enrolled as an officer cadet at the Nigerian Defence Academy and was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a second lieutenant.

He has been working with the late General Sani Abacha since 1985. From August 1985 to August 1990, Al-Mustapha was Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to Abacha. Both his principal and head of state, General Ibrahim Babangida had absolute confidence in his abilities and entrusted him with exceptional powers, considerably greater than other officers who were nominally his superior. This further projected him as a strongman of the military hierarchy.

Al-Mustapha was trained as a military intelligence operative. He held various command posts in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Security Group of the Directorate of Military Intelligence (SG-DMI), 82 Division and Army Headquarters; Ministry of Defence and The Presidency.

He was also involved in counter-intelligence activities and at least two investigations of coup attempts; his conduct of interrogations brought him to the attention of General Sani Abacha. He also conducted operations in Chad, Liberia, Bakassi, Gambia and Sierra Leone. Not many people know that it was Al-Mustapha who oversaw the reorganisation of the entire territory of Nigeria into six geopolitical zones, in this he cultivated a vast network of spies and informants across the federation.

In June 1998, following the death of Abacha, Al-Mustapha was quickly removed from office by the transitional regime led by General Abdulsalam Abubakar.

He was roped into many crises after the death of Abacha and the instance of a civilian government.

On 1 April 2004, he was charged with being involved in a plot to overthrow the government. Allegedly, he had conspired with others to shoot down the helicopter carrying President Olusegun Obasanjo using a surface-to-air missile that had been smuggled into the country from Benin. As head of the State Security Service (SSS), Al-Mustapha was also accused of involvement in drug trafficking, using diplomatic pouches to transport the drugs.

In all of these, Al-Mustapha wines and dines with the power brokers in Aso Rock and he’s trusted by the key people that matter in the scheme of things. A joint ticket of VP Osinbajo, who is a southern candidate and a Christian, with Al-Mustapha, a northern Muslim who has walked through the wires cannot be written off.