Mustapha Wrong, Tinubu Helped Buhari Win In 2015 — Former President’s Ally
Farouk Aliyu, a long-time ally of former President Muhammadu Buhari, has refuted recent assertions by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha about the role of President Bola Tinubu in Buhari’s 2015 election victory.
Mustapha, speaking at a book launch in Abuja on Wednesday, said that Tinubu did not make Buhari president.
According to him, Buhari already had a 12 million-vote support base, and the merging of legacy parties that constituted the All Progressives Congress (APC) added just about three million votes.
However, on Thursday, Aliyu dismissed Mustapha’s position as incorrect. He underlined that, while Buhari’s 12 million votes were consistent, they were never sufficient to achieve a presidential victory until the 2015 coalition with Tinubu.
“My senior brother, Boss Mustapha, certainly got it wrong because I can’t even remember where he was at that time,” says Aliyu.Aliyu accused some members of the Buhari government of attempting to rewrite history despite not being present throughout the formative and critical political fights of the era.
He remarked, “Unfortunately, many of these Buhari converts did not support Buhari. I won’t name names, but the majority of them became who they are through chance or fate, and they are now attempting to dismantle history. It’s not true.
Aliyu went on to say that Tinubu had an important influence in Buhari’s emergence as both the APC presidential candidate and ultimate winner of the 2015 election.
“Tinubu assisted, contributed, and helped Muhammadu Buhari get the ticket and, as a result, win the election by accompanying us on campaign trips around the country. So, I don’t want problems to arise between Buhari and Tinubu, because there are none,” he stated.
Aliyu also recalled working as Buhari’s returning officer during the APC primary in Lagos, which resulted in Buhari’s election as the party’s standard bearer, and he praised Tinubu’s behind-the-scenes support throughout that process.
Aliyu denied charges that Buhari did not reward Tinubu’s support in the run-up to the 2023 election. He said that Buhari had various weapons at his disposal to sabotage the APC’s victory but decided not to use them.
“If Muhammadu Buhari did not want APC to win the election, he would have done several things to ensure that they don’t win,” he insists.
Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, Aliyu promised that Buhari will once again support Tinubu’s candidature, emphasising that there was no schism between the two leaders.
Addressing the expanding coalition of opposition parties vying to defeat Tinubu in 2027, Aliyu acknowledged their constitutional right to run in elections. However, he issued a warning that the APC was well prepared to oppose any challenge to its rule.
“We will put sand in their garri,” he declared, employing a popular Nigerian term to convey political opposition.