Before his ascension to the presidency in 2015, he was a force that commanded an incredibly cult following. Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, who overthrew the civilian administration of President Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari in the closing hours of 1983, would become the consciousness of incorruptible leadership devoted to the overall good. In the less than two years he led as Head of State, he breathed unquestionable nationalism and demonstrated a flaming heart that was irreversibly committed to the fight against corruption. His vision of ridding the country of sleaze was terminated when his uncompromising attitude proved a terminal catastrophe for his junta, which was overthrown by his colleagues in August 1985.
His ouster as military leader was not unconnected with his hard stance and refusal to strike a compromise on issues. Though he was able to convince anti-corruption campaigners of his sincerity to stamp out corruption, his human rights record left much to be desired. Apart from enacting the notorious Decree 4 that sent two Nigerian journalists to jail and the execution of drug peddlers, the imprisonment of sacked Second Republic politicians also portrayed his regime as a vicious tyranny that was completely opposed to any form of democratic trait.
Evoking The Past
As a man known and feared for his stern-looking visage, many thought the coup against him sent him down the pit of no return. However, like the mythical phoenix that interred itself in a burial pyre and emerged in a renewed stage, Buhari, even outside the loop of power, became an irresistible political magnet to those who yearn for a better country devoid of monsters of corruption. Clothed in simplicity and undoubted integrity, Buhari’s vision soon became a political storm that turned out to be the death knell for President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015. Unlike others who lure admirers and followers with gold and silver; this old soldier stole men and women’s hearts through enchanting simplicity and bewitching frugality.
Once his followers drank from the mystic life of Buhari’s mysticism, they were consumed in the humanness of the former military leader. For a country that is always resorting to the joy of the past to survive present pangs of despondency, the past is always remembered as good, while the present is evil personified in the incumbent and seen as an unendurable punishment on citizens. It’s in this context that Buhari was recruited to contest the 2003 polls. If you doubt me, please, refer to the media interview by Engr. Buba Galadima, who disclosed that Buhari’s entrance into the political fray was to provide an irrepressible challenge to former President Olusegun Obasanjo and whittle down the arrogance and rampaging influence of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC).
Getting Power
Buhari, who, after his sacking from power, was more preoccupied in preparing for the hereafter than pursuing the vanity of political power, allowed himself to be preyed upon by the Northern political class, with assurances that political victory lay ahead. When after the 2011 polls, he was forced to kiss the dust for the third time, he wept and bid goodbye to the political contest. But the politicians won’t allow him to rest, as he staged another comeback, ahead of the 2015 polls, after the merger of a rainbow opposition coalition to defeat the incumbent administration, then led by President Goodluck Jonathan. Before his inauguration, Buhari promised to serve only one term due to his age, but he was forced to go for a second term, even when it was clear that his health was ailing.
After spending eight years, Nigerians were better positioned to assess Buhari’s footprints in the corridors of power. The late president left Nigeria more insecure, with the country awarded the medal of ‘World’s Headquarters of Poverty’. Buhari was described as an ‘aloof president’ by a foreign media in a bid to portray his lacklustre disposition in taking charge of his presidency. While stories of money exchanging hands between seekers of political appointments and those who sign these appointment letters were rife. Heads of some parastatals were sacked without the approval of Buhari. It was certain that strong members of a power cabal had taken charge and they were not willing to let go. Current legal fireworks against Buhari’s officials have lent credence to the fact that the sleeping incorruptible was surrounded by the alleged active corrupt.
Uncertainty?
Buhari’s passage has created a vacuum for the North and thrown a blanket of uncertainty over the region’s future, but none of those who call themselves Buharists can step into the shoes left behind by the late president. Before he died in London, some of his supporters had declared their support for the rainbow coalition of the All Democratic Congress (ADC) to upstage President Bola Tinubu in 2027. The tragedy of national politics is when politicians resort to serving selfish interests under the pretext of defending the rights of the Nigerian people. Ahead of the 2027 polls, it is evidently clear that our country cannot survive the leprous politics of regionalism and religion.
The North had it all from 2015 to 2023. One wonders how far these selfish politicians went in improving the living conditions of the region. Nigerians now need a leadership that takes the country as a single political entity that can work, develop, and grow all parts across ethnic and religious divides. The quality of people that surrounded Buhari, not only whittled the potency of his presidency, but also led to nepotistic traits and left so many things undone. As politicians prepare for 2027, they should know that the South must be allowed to complete eight years in power before reverting to the North in 2031. That Buhari could not realise his presidential dream without support outside the North is insightful of the fact that neither North nor South alone can produce the presidency without some form of collaboration and support.
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