Former Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu, has stated that the late President Muhammadu Buhari built a unique political legacy that no present-day politician can claim or replicate.
Speaking in Abuja on Sunday after an interdenominational service held in Buhari’s honour, Okechukwu described the former president’s famed 12 million vote-bank as the result of decades of unwavering consistency, discipline, and integrity—not political gimmicks or vote-buying.
“With all due respect to those laying claim to Buhari’s political base, the reality is that his shoes are far too big to fill. None of them has his level of transparency, moral uprightness, or unblemished public service record,” Okechukwu told reporters.
He added that Buhari earned the nickname “Mai Gaskiya”—meaning The Honest One—because of his lifelong commitment to truth and service, especially among the masses in northern Nigeria. “The people respected him because he stood for something real. He never offered money for votes or compromised his values,” Okechukwu said.
The APC chieftain also criticised politicians attempting to exploit Buhari’s popularity in the North to stir ethnic or regional sentiments. He warned that such strategies are not only short-sighted but also risk undermining the zoning and rotational presidency agreement that has fostered relative national unity in the Fourth Republic.
Okechukwu pointed out that northern voters have, time and again, shown political maturity, citing their overwhelming support for Chief MKO Abiola in 1993 and President Bola Tinubu in 2023, despite both being from the South.
“These politicians trying to ride on Buhari’s name lack his ideological commitment to the Talakawa (common people) philosophy of Malam Aminu Kano. They are opportunists, not patriots,” he asserted.
He further noted that efforts by remnants of Buhari’s old political structures, such as the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), to reengineer his political influence have failed due to lack of credibility and direction.
“Buhari never used vote-buying to win elections, and that’s a truth many of today’s politicians can’t claim. His political capital was earned, not purchased,” Okechukwu concluded.
The remarks come amid increasing speculation about political figures attempting to position themselves as heirs to Buhari’s mass appeal ahead of future elections.
