•He says his opponents are desperate to damage his reputation.
The People’s Redemption Party (PRP) gubernatorial candidate in Bauchi State, Senator Shehu Buba, has accused his political opponents of circulating doctored videos in an attempt to link him to alleged bandit ringleaders.
Buba, who represents Bauchi South Senatorial District, said the videos circulating on social media were fake and had been deliberately presented out of context to damage his reputation ahead of the 2027 elections.
The former Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, in a statement issued in Abuja, said he had neither patronized bandits nor harbored bandit leaders in his residence.
He described the campaign as a “coordinated” attempt to tarnish his image, and urged those making the allegations to present any credible evidence to the relevant authorities rather than resorting to claims on social media.
Buba said he had already initiated legal action against the people behind the alleged doctored materials, including proceedings before the Nigerian courts and the Court of First Instance of Niger Republic.
He said: “My decision to leave the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the People’s Redemption Party (PRP), under whose platform I am pursuing my gubernatorial aspiration, should be debated on policies, competence and vision, not fabricated accusations.”
According to him, his public record remains open to scrutiny, but such scrutiny must be based on verifiable facts.
“I welcome scrutiny, but scrutiny must be fair. I do not claim immunity from scrutiny. As a senator, former chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Intelligence, currently chairman of the Senate Committee on Livestock and Livestock, and now a candidate for governor, I recognize that my actions and associations will be scrutinized. That is democracy,” he said.
Buba argued that legitimate criticism should not be confused with what he described as blackmail or deliberate defamation.
“There is a difference between investigation and fabrication, between criticism and blackmail, and between political opposition and deliberate defamation,” he added.
The senator also explained why he had initially refrained from responding to the videos, saying that his previous responsibility in the Senate required discretion in matters related to national security.
He said his two-year tenure as chairman of the national security committee exposed him to sensitive intelligence and compromises whose details could not always be made public.
“National security requires discretion. Operational successes cannot always be published without jeopardizing ongoing efforts, exposing sources, or endangering individuals and communities involved in sensitive interventions,” he said.
Buba said his approach to insecurity had involved both military actions and non-kinetic measures, including community engagement, dialogue, intelligence gathering, de-radicalization and confidence-building.
“Nigeria cannot defeat insecurity with military force alone. Sustainable security requires gaining the trust of vulnerable communities, strengthening local intelligence networks and creating avenues for cooperation with legitimate authorities,” he said.
He added that some of the security interventions he participated in could not be discussed publicly because doing so could expose intermediaries and others involved.
Regarding the viral videos, the senator called on journalists, editors, fact-checkers and civil society organizations to independently investigate their origins and authenticity.
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