FORMER Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, has rejected the widely circulated belief that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu singlehandedly made Muhammadu Buhari president in 2015, asserting instead that Buhari already had a massive voter base long before the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Mustapha made this remark during the public unveiling of “According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesperson’s Experience,” a memoir written by Garba Shehu, the former presidential spokesperson to Buhari.
The event, which gathered an array of past and present top government functionaries, sparked renewed debate over political history and contributions leading up to Buhari’s electoral victory.
Delivering his comments at the high-profile event, Mustapha said, “When you sum up the total votes that gave us victory in 2015, the aggregate was 15.4 million. Buhari already had 12.2 million of those from previous attempts. So, basically, what the other legacy parties brought into the merger — including ACN and others was just 3.2 million votes.”
The former SGF’s comment appears to push back on a popular narrative championed by supporters of President Tinubu, which suggests that Tinubu’s political structure and strategy were the decisive factors in Buhari’s victory. Mustapha’s remarks highlight a more nuanced view of the 2015 electoral landscape, suggesting that Buhari’s consistent base of over 12 million votes in the North was the real foundation of the APC’s success.
The book launch became a platform not only to honor Garba Shehu’s years in the presidency but also to reflect on key moments in Nigeria’s political history, especially the factors that shaped the nation’s transition from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC in 2015.
President Tinubu, who was represented at the event by the current SGF, Senator George Akume, did not directly address Mustapha’s assertion but instead took the opportunity to commend former President Buhari for laying the groundwork for the current administration’s reforms.
“Nation building is a relay. The effort of one administration lays the foundation for the next,” Tinubu said in his message.
“In this regard, I appreciate the effort of predecessor President Buhari and assure all Nigerians that the reform-oriented path will be consolidated and strengthened under this administration.”
The event was attended by an impressive array of political leaders and former government officials. Among them were former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, who praised Buhari’s calm and firm leadership during his tenure, and former Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who led the delegation of ministers and aides that served under Buhari from 2015 to 2023.
Also present were former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former media adviser Femi Adesina, and Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, Buhari’s former Chief of Staff. In his remarks, Gambari used the occasion to call for a national rethink on the leadership selection process at both federal and state levels, urging Nigerians to prioritize competence, character, and national interest over politics.
The author, Garba Shehu, said his motivation for writing the book was to document lessons from his experience in public communication at the highest levels of government, and to preserve the historical record of events under the Buhari administration for future generations.
