Change, according to the wise ones, is the only constant thing in life and this is very typical of Nigeria’s immediate past president, Muhammadu Buhari.
Having tried his hands for many years using other political movements to realise his ambition of ruling the country as a democrat, he realised that a combined effort would do the magic.
Buhari therefore led his Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) into a merger with the Action Congress of Nigeria (APC), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and a break away faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). This move, which birthed the All Progressives Congress (APC) became the masterstroke to make Buhari president and APC the ruling party in 2015.
At the outset, Buhari, a retired Nigerian Army Major General, who had served as the country’s military Head of State from December 31, 1983 to August 27, 1985, was convinced he still had something to contribute to the governance of the country, and subsequently threw his hat in the ring for the highest post in the land.
His success at the polls in 2015 came after the electorate turned him down three times, one of which was in an election against President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011. He has contested for president on the platform of the ANPP in 2003 and 2007, and on the CPC platform in 2011 without success.
Born on December 17, 1942 as Muhammadu Buhari in Daura, a town in Katsina State to Mallam Hardo Adamu, a Fulani chieftain from Dumurkul in Mai’Adua, and mother, Zulaihat, who had Hausa and Kanuri ancestry, Buhari stole the mind of millions of Nigerian with his message to launch a frontal war on corruption and insecurity that buffeted the entire nation at the time of his 2015 campaign.
Political pundits say that his popularity in the north, where there are high votes, was the factor those who made the merger that produced APC happen saw and supported him.
With Buhari’s popularity in the north, combined with Tinubu’s stronghold in South West, the victory of APC at the presidential election became a fiat accompli. It was not therefore a surprise that Buhari won the presidential election.
For most political observers, Buhari’s emergence was quite historic and unprecedented, being the very first time, in the history of Nigeria, that an incumbent president would lose in a general election. But despite the challenges of his first four years in office, Buhari was reelected in February 2019, defeating his closest rival, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar by over three million votes.
As President, Buhari’s military credentials were seen as a huge advantage that would help him stem violent extremism especially in the North East part of the country. After eight years of the Buhari presidency, many observers felt his scorecard was far less than expected.
Although he came to power on the change mantra, his eight year tenure as Nigeria’s President have provoked many questions about his presidency which was characterised by several daunting challenges, including mounting debts, inflation and high level of insecurity across the country, among others.
Buhari’s campaign in 2014 had focused on three thematic promises: to tackle insecurity, stem corruption and fix the country’s economic challenges. But upon leaving office after two terms of eight years, not many analysts would rate his scorecard as being better than the man he succeeded despite embarking on a vast infrastructure drive.