Abubakar Badaru, the immediate past Minister of Defence, has stated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is fully aware of the “true and valid reasons” for his resignation, which he tendered on Monday night citing health challenges.

Badaru’s resignation was accepted by the President, who subsequently appointed General Christopher Musa as his replacement.

In a statement on Wednesday, the former minister addressed circulating online reports falsely claiming he resigned because he “cannot stand and watch the US and Tinubu government bombing our brothers in the forest.” Badaru described the publication as malicious, false, and baseless, insisting it did not originate from him or any authorized representative.

He emphasized that the aim of the false reports was to tarnish his reputation, create discord between him and President Tinubu, and distract from governance. Badaru reiterated that the real reasons for his resignation were formally communicated to the President and have been shared publicly through conventional and social media channels.