Buhari's 4TH Shot That Made History TWICE

Nigeria's President, Muhammadu Buhari is no doubt a historic man. Buhari who was born on December 17, 1942 became a retired Major General in the Nigerian Army and then Nigeria military ruler from December 31, 1983 to August 27, 1985. He is a Muslim and  a native of Daura in Katsina State of Nigeria.

The term Buharism is ascribed to the Buhari's military government. He also ran unsuccessfully for the office of the President of Nigeria in the 2003, 2007 and 2011 elections. He later took the fourth shot at the presidency in 2015 on the platform of the All Progressives Congress and Won.

Buhari' s 1st Shot At The Presidency

It could be recalled that On 7th January 2003, the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) held a very dramatic national convention in Abuja to nominate its candidate for the 2003 Presidential elections.

The then ANPP Governors came up with what they called “consensus” option. This many perceived as an attempt to foist Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) on the party as the presidential flag-bearer without the rigors of a contest,

The idea arguably was a plot for one of the contenders, the late Dr Chuba Okadigbo to be paired with Buhari as running mate while others would withdraw from the race. An idea that sailed on fruition.

Buhari then ran with the popular Late Dr. Chuba Wilberforce Okadigbo the Oyi of Oyi. Late Dr. Chuba Wilberforce Okadigbo was President of the Senate of Nigeria (December 17, 1941 – September 25, 2003).

Okadigbo who was widely called 'Oyi of Oyi' in reference to his local government council area (Oyi Local Government of Anambra); he also held numerous political positions in the Nigeria government.

He was notorious for been a major opposition to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party of Nigeria, which was led by President Olusegun Obasanjo from the year 1999 - 2007.

Okadigbo joined over to the All Nigeria Peoples Party in 2002 to become Muhammadu Buhari's running mate in the 2003 Presidential elections, but the pair lost the election to Olusegun Obasanjo and Atiku Abubakar of the PDP by a colossal margin.

In all, Buhari(ANPP) scored 32.19% of the vote to lose to OBJ of PDP. (See table below for a comprehensive result of 2003 presidential election)


Buhari's 2nd Shot At The Presidency

Something quite similar to the 2003 scenario played out again in 2007, when Buhari also failed to emerge as the ANPP presidential flagbearer.

Neither did he at that time, have a credible political structure to support his aspiration, especially since most of the party’s governors had by then deserted him.

While the election was mismanaged by the Prof. Maurice Iwu-led Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), essentially because of the political struggle between President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Buhari could not have won in 2007 and he did not win; even when we concede the fact that the entire process was marred with irregularities, as the eventual winner, the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua himself openly admitted.So the challenge of the 2007 presidential election was not that Buhari was rigged out, but that the process which produced a winner was lacking in legitimacy.

In 2007 Buhari ran with Late Chief Ume-Ezeoke, a lawyer from Amichi Nnewi, Anambra State, who became Speaker of the House of Representatives, for four years, a little after his 44th birthday, under a power-sharing accord that his party, Nigerian Peoples Party, NPP, had with the National Party of Nigeria, NPN.

After the 1983 elections, the NPN, with a stronger stand in the National Assembly did not need an alliance to rule. Benjamin Chaha of the NPN from Benue State was the Speaker in the later part of 1983 when the military struck.

Their electoral dispute between Buhari and Ume-Ezeoke continues till his death. Ume-Ezeoke, who was the ANPP chairman, at the time, announced his withdrawal from the case and the party’s decision to join President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s government of national unity.

Buhari scored 18.72% of the vote to lose to Late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua (See table below for a comprehensive result of 2007 presidential election)


Buhari's 3rd Shot At The Presidency

In March 2010, Buhari dumped the ANPP to form a new party at that time known as the Congress For Progressive Change(CPC). According to him, he had supported the foundation of the CPC “as a solution to the debilitating, ethical and ideological conflicts in my former party the ANPP''.

Buhari was the CPC Presidential candidate in the 16 April 2011 general elections, running against former President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP.

Gen. Muhammadu Buhari of the APC on Monday, 31 January announced Pastor Tunde Bakare of the Latter Rain Assembly, Lagos as his running mate for the 2011 Nigerian presidential election which he accepted.

Bakere who remained very controversial was reportedly arrested in March 2002 after criticizing the then-president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in his sermon.
CPC lost the presidential election to PDP, and Pastor Bakare remains a fierce critic of the Nigerian government and leadership.

Buhari scored 31.98% of the vote to lose to incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP. (See table below for a comprehensive result of 2011 presidential election)


Buhari's 4th Shot At The President

In 2015 General Buhari emerged the standard bearer of the All Progressive Congress (APC) by scoring 3,430 votes to defeat other aspirants; former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar (954 votes); Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso (974 votes); Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha (624 votes) and the Publisher of Leadership Newspapers, Sam Nda-Isaiah (10 votes) with 16 votes recorded as invalid.

In 2015 Buhari picked Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, the senior partner at SimmonsCooper Partners. Osibanjo is a Professor of Law and a former Attorney-General of Lagos State and Commissioner for Justice. He is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

Prof. Yemi Osinbajo was educated at the University of Lagos, Nigeria (LLB, 1978) and the London School of Economics (LLM, 1980). He was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 1979. He has authored several books on civil procedure in Nigerian superior courts, rules of evidence and justice reform. Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has more than 31 years of litigation experience including significant trial and appellate work. Osinbajo supervises the commercial litigation group at SimmonsCooper Partners (SCP), a leading commercial litigation and corporate commercial firm in Nigeria.

Gen. Muhammadu Buhari won the 2015 presidential and was sworn in as Nigeria's Executive president on May 29 alongside  his Vice president and currently the Acting president Yemi Osibanjo. (See table below for a comprehensive result of 2007 presidential election) 

PMB's election as Nigeria's leader was indeed historic. Plenty of lessons were learned.

However, a more historic turn may have ensued barely two years into his being on the saddle as the number one citizen; His health status. Many believe, that the Yar'Adua/Jonathan scenario is at the brink of occurring all over again. Late President Umaru Music Yar'Adua died abroad after a prolonged medical vacation.

Buhari's Twice-extendend Vacation

President Muhammadu Buhari who is currently away in London on a twice-extended vacation may not be coming back anytime soon. This is due to the fact that the result of series of tests carried out on him by his team of  medical experts are out and the results are suggestive of the fact that he need plenty rest before coming back to duty as Nigerian's president.

Recall, on February 6, a day Buhari was expected back at his duty post at the Aso Villa, following what was meant to be a 10-day official vacation, rather he wrote the National Assembly asking it to further-extend his stay away from work on medical grounds.

The indefinite extension of his vacation sparked up divergent views and speculations in the polity. Some Nigerians argued that he has the right to medical vacations abroad even as the Country's number one citizen and urged Nigerians to pray for his safe return. While others believed that a some elites and cabal had started holding the country to ransom and cautioned that Nigerians should not be taken for a ride.

The letter which was transmitted to the National Assembly stated that the extension was to enable him complete and receive the results of a series of tests recommended by his team of medial specialists abroad.

Now that the test results are out, and we were told not to expect Our president any time soon as he'd be resting. Senate President, Bukola Saraki and APC National leader, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu who recently visited him in Abuja house, London where he is reportedly resting had repeatedly told us that Mr. President is hale, hearty and in high spirits.

Buhari recently spoke with America's president, Donald Trump and his South African counterpart, Jacob Zuma and both leaders confirmed speaking with him over the phone.

Pundits and political analysts have frowned at such a development as they believe that if Our president could speak to other people, he should at least through a voice call or message assure Nigerian that all is well.

We hope that all is well. We pray that history should not repeat itself. We hope that Mr. President will be back on his fit very soon.  We wish that the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo will take pragmatic steps towards bringing down the prizes of goods and services and make the life of Nigerians a lot better.