A former Commissioner of Information in Abia State, John Kalu, has detailed how he met with Muhammadu Buhari during which he confirmed that the then Nigerian president was not Jubril al‑Sudani.
Mr Kalu, who was commissioner from 2015 to 2023 during the tenure of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, shared the account on Facebook.
🕊️ Death and burial
Late President Muhammadu Buhari passed away in a London hospital at age 82. He was buried at his Daura residence in Katsina State.
Buhari or Jubril?
In 2018, rumours circulated that President Buhari died in 2017 and had been replaced by a lookalike, “Jubril from Sudan”—a theory spread widely during his prolonged illness in London.
Mr Kalu recounted in 2018, during a delegation visit for the Enyimba Economic City MoU signing, his intention to verify the president’s identity personally.
> “I must confess that the major thing on my mind when we visited Buhari’s Aso Rock in 2018 was to personally verify if he was the same General Buhari… or ‘Jubril al‑Sudani’ as some of his adversaries wanted us to believe.”
He noted distinguishing features: Buhari’s black prayer mark, height, chin, broad smiles, and gait.
> “The Buhari I saw that day was the same General Muhammadu Buhari that I saw in Aba in 2015,” Kalu said. He also observed Buhari’s personality—“very honest and jovial man with no airs.”
During the event, Buhari good‑naturedly bantered with Governor Ikpeazu and others. Kalu recalled a humorous exchange: Buhari joking about past electoral losses and wins, displaying familiari
ty and presence of mind.
