The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has declared that former President Muhammadu Buhari would not have emerged victorious in the 2015 presidential election without the strategic support of Bola Tinubu and the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).
Speaking on Thursday night during an interview on Arise TV, Onanuga pushed back against remarks made by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, who had claimed that the merger forming the All Progressives Congress (APC) only contributed a marginal three million votes to Buhari’s electoral success.
Mustapha had stated earlier that Buhari consistently enjoyed a core base of over 12 million votes before the 2013 merger, suggesting that the alliance with ACN and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) had minimal impact.
But Onanuga disagreed, stating unequivocally that while Buhari had solid northern backing, he lacked the national spread necessary to meet constitutional requirements to win a presidential election outright.
“Buhari was nowhere in the South. He needed the spread. ACN had six southern states, and that alliance was what gave him the boost he needed,” Onanuga said.
He explained that although the votes from the southern states may not have been in the millions, they were strategic and vital in ensuring Buhari secured over 25 per cent of votes in more than 24 states, as required by the Nigerian Constitution.
“Buhari won in all six ACN-controlled states and got more than 25 per cent. That helped him reach about 25 states overall,” he said.
Onanuga also emphasized the mutual respect and political gratitude between Buhari and Tinubu, stating that the former president remained deeply appreciative of Tinubu’s role in the historic election.
“Buhari never forgot the help that Tinubu rendered to him. He wouldn’t have become president without Tinubu’s assistance,” Onanuga added.
The remarks are the latest in a growing public debate over the true political dynamics that delivered Nigeria’s first successful opposition victory in a presidential election, as the APC unseated the then-ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015.
As internal party narratives evolve, the role of key political figures like Tinubu continues to shape discussions around Nigeria’s democratic history and future leadership.
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