Politics
Buhari In The Eyes Of History
President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari
The March 28, 2015
presidential election won by the main opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC) and its representative, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), has, no doubt, opened Nigeria up to another phase of politics. Among other things, it has opened the country to that phase of politics in which the governed matters.
In other words, only that which the people want, at any point in time, should hold sway in governance. This means that the era in which a few privileged people, especially those in government or at the corridors of power, decide what should be without recourse to the overall interest of the populace is over.
This much is decipherable in the words of former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (rtd): “This victory to me conveys two significant statements on our political history and evolution. First, that incumbents can be defeated in any democratic process if the people’s aspirations are not fulfilled.
“Second, that there is good reward for perseverance and hard work. General Buhari has been very consistent in pursuing his political aspiration”, he said, referring to the President-elect’s perseverance in contesting to ascend the highest position in the country in three previous occasions since 2003, which had failed until March 28, 2015.
But Babangida was not done in rightly rubbing home the implications of the APC cum Buhari win. Likening Buhari to former America President, Abraham Lincoln, who had to contest doggedly for several times in pursuit of his political aspiration and ended up enriching the contents of democracy in America.
“General Buhari”, he continued, “lives true to his military calling by remaining very consistent, resilient and courageous right from 2003 till date.
“This enviable feat to me further enriches our democratic process and matures us into the top echelon of nations where democracy has taken firm root. That President Jonathan has indeed conceded defeat and congratulated the President-elect is also cheering news.
“With this election and its outcome thus far, Nigeria has once again recorded another milestone in her march through the enviable ladder of democracy. Our leadership role in Africa will further be enhanced by the way and manner we manage the gains of this process. But I trust that the President-elect will live up to the expectations of many Nigerians that crave for change; and lift Nigeria to greater heights”.
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, also emphasised on the win, noting the crux of the reason for Buhari’s nay APC’s acceptance by the electorate, taking a cue from the words of the late Nnamdi Azikiwe (Zik of Africa).
“The great Nnamdi Azikiwe once wrote that ‘history will continue to vindicate the just.’ Your victory in the polls, with votes from across the length and breadth of our country, bears witness to the acceptance of not just our party, the APC, but also your ideology of justice, fair play and zero tolerance for corruption as the bedrock for national rebirth”.
This, no doubt, is the kernel of truth, embedded in Atiku’s warning when he surreptitiously said, “Dear Buhari, the journey has just begun. Millions of Nigerians have put their trust in you, because they were not satisfied with the status quo. You represent the hope of a new generation of Nigerians, and you cannot afford to fail them.
“Our party has made a promise of change to our young people, to secure and rebuild our country, create jobs and opportunity, and improve citizens’ welfare. We will stand behind you to ensure we keep those promises, just like we did during these elections.”
Atiku said Nigeria needs a new direction, noting that Buhari should see his office as an opportunity to unite and rally Nigerians for development. This, he hinted, is the essence for which Nigerians so overwhelmingly voted for a change, and, in the process, voted out an incumbent government at the national level for the first time..
“We have voted for you, and our party won the election, but when you assume our highest office, you must become the president of not just the APC, but all of Nigeria, including the people who did not vote for you. We look up to you to heal the fractures of our country, and truly unite this country like never before”, Atiku said.
One way the Daura-born 72-year-old Fulani from Katsina is expected to do this is to first heal the wounds of a charged electoral campaign, as he admitted in his maiden speech after he was declared winner of the elections, obviously realising that emotions ran high.
“This was a hard- fought contest. Emotions are high. We must not allow them to get the better of us. This is not the time for confrontation. This is a moment that we must begin to heal the wounds and work toward a better future. We do this first by extending a hand of friendship and conciliation across the political divide. We hope and pray our friends in the other parties reciprocate.”
After this, Buhari needs to know that the Nigeria of today is not the one he ruled about 30 years ago as a 42 years old Major-General backed by the privilege of ruling by decree. Come May 29, he will be inheriting a deeply divided Nigeria with high youth unemployment, an unsafe and economically weak nation, coupled with dwindling oil revenues and an almost non-existent foreign reserve, largely warranted by high level corruption in governance.
Citizens’ confidence in the ability of the government to meet its obligations is at its lowest ebb due to massive corruption and the fall of the price of crude which has remained the country’s economic mainstay, while the widening gap between the rich and the poor has never been this wide.
Another serious issue, which the APC used as a campaign tool, is power generation and distribution, which several administrations have tried but failed to fix since the beginning of Nigeria’s fourth shot at democratic rule in 1999. The change which Nigerians clamoured and voted for certainly revolves round the hope that they will fare better than they are doing currently.
This, in the simplest of words, is in terms of infrastructural development; job creation in order to engage the growing army of educated and restless youths; supremacy of the constitution, which must be amended in tandem with the aspirations of a genuine democracy; and, most of all, a realistic and genuine war against corruption, which the retired General convinced Nigerians that out-going President Goodluck Jonathan was unable to fight, and which largely gave APC the win.
As Buhari waits for May 29 to ascend the coveted throne, this is the time to begin to take stock of the challenges on the ground because it is by these challenges he and the new ruling party will be judged.
Soibi Max-Alalibo
Politics
Reps Constitution Review Committee Holds Zonal Hearing For Rivers, C’River, Akwa Ibom In Calabar
A press statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Cross River State Governor, Mr Linus Obogo, disclosed that the Calabar Centre — designated as Centre B — will host representatives and stakeholders from Cross River, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom States.
The public hearing is scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 19, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at the Transcorp (Metropolitan) Hotel, Calabar.
The initiative, according to the statement, is designed to promote inclusive dialogue and capture the aspirations of Nigerians from all regions.
It aims to serve as a platform for citizens to contribute meaningfully to the ongoing national efforts to refine and strengthen the country’s legal and institutional frameworks.
“Citizens, civil society groups, professional bodies, traditional rulers, and other interest blocs are invited to participate in this landmark engagement aimed at advancing a more just, equitable, and responsive Nigerian Constitution,” the statement read.
The hearing forms part of the broader review process of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and is seen as a strategic move toward fostering national unity and addressing structural legal issues within the federation.
For the first time since 2022, when then-presidential aspirant Alhaji Bola Tinubu declared he made former President Buhari Nigeria’s President in 2015, Mr Mustapha dismissed the claims, stressing that the merger only contributed about three million votes in addition to Buhari’s existing 12 million votes in the North.
He insisted that former President Buhari’s integrity, national stature, and disciplined messaging were central to the breakthrough, not the three million votes from the merging parties, which he described as insignificant.
Speaking on the role of the merging parties, particularly President Tinubu, the leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr Mustapha, who was the keynote speaker at the launch of the book ‘According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesman’s Experience’ authored by Mallam Garba Shehu, described the impact of the votes from other merging parties as very insignificant.
In attendance were former Head of State Yakubu Gowon, chair of the event; immediate past Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; SGF George Akume, who represented President Tinubu; PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar; former Chief of Staff to Buhari Ibrahim Gambari; elder statesman Babagana Kingibe; former governors Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Chris Ngige (Anambra), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Raji Babatunde Fashola (Lagos); former ministers Solomon Dalung and Sunday Dare; former Army Chief Tukur Buratai, and Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu’s spokesman, among others.
According to Mr Mustapha, “I do not intend to stir up any controversy. The merger in 2013 was midwifed to create a Buhari presidency. Let us look at the statistics. In the 2003 election, it was the Obasanjo-Buhari presidential contest where Buhari recorded 12.7 million votes. In 2007, it came to 6.6 million, and it went back to 12.2 million in 2011.
“When we were conceptualising the merger, what would give us a headstart? Obviously, it was at the back of our consciousness that the merger with the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), though it had only one state, the ACN had six states, ANPP three states, and when you sum up the total votes that we had as the presidency in 2015, the aggregate of the total votes was 15.4 million.
“So, basically, what we brought to the table after the merger outside the Buhari 12.5 million votes was three million. Before turning to that presidency, it is important to recognise the former President’s role in reshaping Nigeria’s political trajectory.
“In early 2013, as the leader of the CPC, Buhari formally requested and supported the creation of a CPC merger committee, part of a broader coalition-building process that brought together the ACN, ANPP, APGA faction, and elements of the ruling party through the breakaway ‘new PDP’ group. His endorsement and participation, along with other party leaders such as President Tinubu and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, lent credibility and direction to the merger, helping to unify disparate party factions under the banner of the APC. That coalition-building paved the way for the first democratic defeat of an incumbent ruling party in Nigeria’s history.
“President Buhari’s integrity, national stature, and disciplined messaging were central to that breakthrough. No account of President Buhari’s tenure would be complete without acknowledging the extended periods he spent on medical leave. These moments, while politically delicate, were also telling of his leadership philosophy and personality,” he said.
In his remarks, President Tinubu promised to build on the legacies of former President Buhari, stressing that “nation-building is a relay. The efforts of one administration lay the foundation for the next.
“In this regard, I acknowledge the efforts of my predecessor, President Buhari, and assure all Nigerians that the reform-oriented path he initiated will be consolidated and strengthened under this administration. Our Renewed Hope Agenda is inspired by the desire to build a resilient, just, and inclusive Nigeria—a nation that delivers dividends of democracy to all its citizens”.
Speaking during an appearance on live television on Wednesday, Mr Omokri alleged that Mr Obi’s statements were misleading and damaging to the country’s economic prospects.
Mr Omokri said some investors currently operating in Nigeria were considering exiting the market due to Mr Obi’s remarks.
“That is not true. He doesn’t rile me up. I rile him up. The reason why I came here is because I’m a patriot. Peter Obi lied. You know, foreign direct investors are watching your programme, who are making investment decisions not to come to Nigeria. There are foreign investors in Nigeria that are making investment decisions to leave Nigeria because of the lie he told.
“One of the lies he told is that President Tinubu has borrowed more than the administrations of Yar’Adua, Jonathan, Buhari. That is a blatant lie”, Mr Omokri said.
To buttress his claims, Mr Omokri referenced figures from the Debt Management Office (DMO), maintaining that President Tinubu had actually reduced Nigeria’s external debt burden since assuming office.
“I have here with me data from the Debt Management Office, and Nigerians who are watching can go to DMO.com and search Debt Management Office, Nigeria State of Indebtedness 2015.
“As of 2015, Nigeria was owing a total of $63 billion. When Buhari was leaving office, Nigeria was owing $113 billion. Today, from the DMO, our debt has gone from $113 billion to $97 billion, meaning that Tinubu has reduced our debt by over $14 billion.
“We should be appreciating this man. Yet Peter Obi came here and lied to the Nigerian people. He took the debts and translated them into naira to make it look like the debts have increased”, he said.
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