Politics

Buhari’s voting bloc falls apart as followers pitch tents

Published

7 months ago

July 28, 2025

The passing of former President Muhammadu Buhari has created a vacuum in the All Progressives Congress, sparking concerns about how the party or other political parties will inherit the ex-leader’s millions of voters in the North in the coming election, ISMAEEL UTHMAN and MUHAMMED LAWAL write

With the departure of former President Muhammadu Buhari, who had cult-like following and controlled millions of votes in the northern part of the country, the All Progressives Congress, which was the party of the former president, stands at the threshold of losing a reasonable percentage of Buhari’s supporters. Before his death, many of Buhari’s loyalists, including former ministers who served with him and former governors, had distanced themselves from the APC. This is as the Congress for Progressive Change bloc of the party was also reported to be planning defection.

While the APC is the original benefactor of Buhari’s popularity, the opposition parties are also hoping to profit from the “12 million votes” of the ex-president after his death.

Buhari, who contested five presidential elections between 2003 and 2019, lost three times before finally clinching victory in 2015 and securing re-election in 2019.

In the 2003 presidential election, Buhari of the All Nigeria Peoples Party polled 12,710,022 votes but received 6,605,299 votes in 2007. The ex-president, who contested under the Congress for Progressive Change in 2011, garnered 12,214,853 votes. However, he won his election in 2015 under the APC, polling 15,424,921 and 15,191,847 votes for his re-election in 2019. He consistently won Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Jigawa, Kaduna, Bauchi, Yobe, Borno, Gombe and Niger in all the elections to maintain his magical 12 million votes.

In a recent interview, a former Secretary to the State Government, Babachir Lawal, argued that the emergence of the APC only added three million votes to Buhari’s election in 2015, suggesting that the late president had his 12 million votes intact.

Similarly, a civil liberty advocate, Senator Shehu Sani, in an interview with Sunday PUNCH, also said the majority of the northern people considered Buhari a messiah, hence they consistently voted for him and considered anybody opposing him as being against northern interests.

He said, “Buhari’s support is different from the kind of support other politicians have in the North today. His support is a kind of cult following. When Buhari was a presidential candidate, any other northerner vying for that position was seen to be a devil. When Buhari was the president, any person criticising him was seen to be anti-North or anti-Buhari. At the peak of his popularity, Buhari became like a deity, and criticising him was viewed by the common people as a form of blasphemy.”

A former military Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), acknowledged Buhari’s strong political base, saying, “With the passing away of Buhari, politics in Nigeria will certainly change — I hope for the better.”

However, the shepherd is now dead and the sheep are scattered. The development has brought about an imminent power struggle, as political forces across party lines are already positioning themselves as Buhari’s true friends, allies, and supporters so that the ex-general’s followers will identify with them during election time.

Before his death, both the APC and the opposition coalition led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar were battling for the ex-general’s support ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Political analysts argue that a key strategy for the APC to control Buhari’s followers is to retain the CPC bloc of the party, though some of them have joined the African Democratic Congress.

According to the analysts, leaders of the defunct CPC were seen by thousands of northern voters as Buhari’s disciples; hence, they may tend to follow them during elections. Sunday PUNCH notes that notable members of the defunct CPC who are still in the APC include former Senate President Ahmed Lawan, ex-governors of Nasarawa and Katsina states, Tanko Al-Makura and Aminu Masari, former Minister of Education Adamu Adamu, and ex-member of the House of Representatives, Farouk Aliyu, among others.

But many of the old CPC members who served with Buhari have left the APC. Leading the team are the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal; former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami; and immediate past governor of Kaduna, Nasir El-Rufai. The late president’s ex-ministers, Rotimi Amaechi and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who were not part of the CPC bloc, have also joined the ADC.

Sunday PUNCH learnt that tensions have begun to surface between the APC and the ADC, with both parties vying to attract Buhari’s political base. Sources told our correspondents that the APC was already worried about Buhari’s demise and how it is going to impact Tinubu’s election in 2027.

Of the 8,794,726 votes Tinubu got in the 2023 presidential election, 5,346,686 came from the northern region. His close rival, Atiku, polled 5,229,473 in the North. Tinubu won six northern states of Jigawa, Zamfara, Kogi, Niger, Benue and Borno. Political analysts argue that with Buhari’s demise, APC might find it difficult to mobilise voters, especially in the face of the purported resentment against the Tinubu’s administration in the region.

An insider at the APC national secretariat who spoke with one of our correspondents stated that the party leaders’ major worry was how not to lose “too much” of Buhari’s followers to the coalition.

“It is a discussion among the leaders. Before the secretariat was shut, the implication of Buhari’s death was a major discourse. Even till now, our major concern is how not to lose too much of the ex-president’s followers to the coalition.”

But the Chairman of the North-Central APC Forum, Saleh Zazzaga, allayed the fear, saying there had not been “proper election” when Buhari was polling 12 million votes, suggesting that the former president might receive fewer votes if he contested now.

“The time that President Buhari secured 12 million votes, there had not been a proper election. In the past elections, the margin of the winner was usually eight million votes. President Tinubu did not win by this margin because there was an election.

“Those that have the capacity are with the APC, and they are going nowhere. Someone like Al-Makura, who is the current leader of the CPC bloc, is with President Tinubu, and he is going to add value to the 2027 journey,” he said in an interview with Sunday PUNCH.

Also commenting on Buhari’s political influence, the President of Arewa Youth Consultative Council, Zaid Ayuba, said the late president’s votes could become extinct, as politics was measured by presence.

He noted that when there was no clear direction, people tended to follow their own interests.

Ayuba said, “Politics is a game of interest. When one is alive, they play politics; immediately one is no more, the interest will always be divided. The 12 million votes belonging to the late president can no longer be controlled.

“Even if he were alive, those 12 million votes could not be channelled in one direction. This is because people are now politically aware. The level of political socialisation in the North has grown beyond how it is perceived. People align with what suits their interests. This means that loyalty and likeness are submitted to anybody they relate with.”

While acknowledging that the North was a staunch supporter of Buhari, Ayuba noted that the people felt betrayed by his performance, which he said put an end to the purported millions of votes the ex-general was controlling.

“Buhari enjoyed massive solidarity from the North in the past, where people saw him as a messiah. In 2019, some people felt he underdelivered, and from that moment, their entire perception changed. This made the 12 million votes a past glory. Currently, no man or politician can puff their chest and say they can deliver this number of votes.

“Northern Nigeria may decide to submit their bloc votes to wherever they feel, especially if the appeal is in relation to regional solidarity. By 2027, a lot of preaching will happen in the North, and people will begin to come out,” he stated.

Asked whether Al-Makura could gather enough support for Tinubu if picked as the APC’s next national chairman, Ayuba said the former Nasarawa State governor did not have Buhari’s political influence in the North.

According to him, Al-Makura was only known in two states in the North.

He said, “If Al-Makura emerges as the National Chairman of the APC, his influence remains in Nasarawa State and Abuja. The moment one crosses these two places, nobody knows him, especially political players, let alone voters. Only Buhari enjoyed the massive political solidarity.

“People were usually surprised whenever he was on the ballot, asking where votes were coming from. Now that he is no longer alive, politically, things have fallen apart. The centre has broken, and there is nobody in the North that can boast of three to four million votes again. There is nobody that can shake the political reign of this region like the late president.”

Similarly, Sani said Tinubu would win his second term in the North despite Buhari’s death. According to him, Tinubu has no strong opposition to his re-election in the region.

“I have no doubt that President Tinubu will win his 2027 election. Because I have not seen any credible, strong, and viable opposition that can counter his support base in northern Nigeria,” he said.

When contacted to comment on how Buhari’s death would impact the 2027 presidential election in the North, a former minister and one of the leaders of the ADC said he couldn’t speak on record because some people would believe he was disrespecting Buhari in death.

The ex-minister, who is one of Buhari’s loyalists, said, “I cannot speak on record because we are still mourning our late principal. If I grant any interview now, many of our people will think I am disrespecting Baba in his grave.

However, his death is a huge loss to us, but we believe thousands, if not millions, of those who usually voted for him identify us as his disciples, and we will not disappoint them. We will galvanise Baba’s followers and ensure that they make the right choice in 2027.”

He promised that all the political structures of the late president would be maintained.

“Truly, Baba has gone with his 12 million votes and we cannot have that again. But the talakawas and other structures who always rallied round Baba will not be discarded; we will maintain them,” he said.

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PDP faction slams candidate withdrawals in FCT elections as ‘anti‑democratic’

Published

11 hours ago

February 20, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

A faction of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed “utter dismay” over the withdrawal of some of its chairmanship candidates from the forthcoming Abuja Local Council elections, calling the move “anti-democratic in every sense.”

The party also warned that it reflects a troubling trend in the party’s leadership.

In a Friday statement on its social handles, the National Working Committee of the party said: “The National Working Committee of the Party @OfficialPDPNig has received with utter dismay the news of the withdrawal or stepping down of some Chairmanship Candidates of our Party from the forthcoming Abuja Local Council elections.”

Describing the development as a symptom of a broader problem, the party accused some leaders of fostering what it termed “voodoo democracy.”

It read, “As sad as this development is, it is a pointer to the type of voodoo democracy promoted by those parading as leaders of the PDP, whose only interest is to ‘hold’ the party for the President.”

The statement also warned that such actions could foreshadow attempts to manipulate presidential elections.

It continued, “This is exactly what they intended to do to Nigerians, when close to the Presidential elections, they can compel, induce or cajole all the other candidates to step down or withdraw for the President to have a smooth sail back to Aso Rock Villa, despite the abysmal performance of his administration.”

The PDP said it had previously acted against such behavior within the party: “It was for ignoble, reckless and shameless acts like these that we excommunicated them from our party, in order to rebuild a strong opposition party, prepared for a struggle to return to power by 2027.”

The statement concluded with instructions for voters: “Furthermore, voters should go to the polls prepared to protect their votes and ensure that Presiding Officers transmit Form EC8A immediately after announcing the result at the polling unit.”

The press release was signed by Comrade Ini Ememobong, MNIPR, National Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party.

PDP chairmanship candidate for the Bwari Area Council election, Julius Adamu, on Wednesday withdrew from the race in favour of the All Progressives Congress candidate, Joshua Musa.

The stand-down, marked by a show of supporters and political heavyweights, took place on Wednesday in Bwari, where FCT Minister Nyesom Wike was present.

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Politics

Aiyedatiwa vs Tunji-Ojo: Political cold war sparks killings, violence in Ondo state APC

Published

12 hours ago

February 20, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

In line with the directive of the National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress, congresses to elect party officials at the ward, local government and state levels were scheduled for February and March this year.

However, concerns are mounting that the exercise in Ondo State could be marred by crisis amid a perceived supremacy battle between Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, popularly known as BTO.

The alleged battle for control of Ondo APC took a deadly turn on Wednesday when two people were reportedly killed and five others injured during violent clashes at the ward congress in Odode-Idanre, the headquarters of Idanre Local Government Area. The incidents occurred as the ruling party conducted congresses across its 203 wards in the state.

The unrest is believed to be a spillover from Tuesday’s disruption at the party secretariat in Akure, where suspected hoodlums stormed a stakeholders’ meeting and assaulted party leaders.

Among the victims was Raphael Adetimehin, younger brother of the state APC caretaker chairman, Ade Adetimehin, who sustained machete wounds after attackers allegedly mistook him for his brother due to their resemblance. Eyewitnesses reported that his vehicle was set ablaze before he was rushed to the General Hospital in Idanre, where he remains in a coma.

By party tradition and structure, the governor is widely regarded as the leader of the party at the state level, just as the President occupies that position nationally. As a minister appointed by the President, Tunji-Ojo technically falls within that federal hierarchy.

However, recent developments suggest that the Ondo State chapter of the APC has quietly split into two blocs — one aligned with Governor Aiyedatiwa and the other with the Interior Minister.

Although neither Aiyedatiwa nor Tunji-Ojo has openly acknowledged any rift, subtle signs of tension have fuelled speculation. At the recently concluded 50th anniversary celebration of Ondo State, both men publicly displayed cordiality. A viral video showed them exchanging warm embraces at the Government House in Alagbaka. They also sat side-by-side at the grand finale held at the Akure Township Stadium, where Tunji-Ojo represented President Bola Tinubu. At least outwardly, there was no visible sign of animosity.

Behind the scenes, however, party sources claim the minister has been playing an increasingly influential role within the state chapter. Tunji-Ojo is said to have cultivated strong ties with party elders and stakeholders, providing financial support and attending to their needs — gestures that have reportedly earned him loyalty and reverence among some members. He is also believed to be coordinating various support groups working for President Tinubu’s re-election across the state.

Some beneficiaries of the minister’s outreach have allegedly accused Governor Aiyedatiwa of not doing enough to strengthen party structures, despite being the state’s chief executive.

The alleged rivalry came into sharper focus on Tuesday when political thugs invaded the APC state secretariat in Akure during a pre-ward congress stakeholders’ meeting. The attackers reportedly assaulted several party leaders, including the state chairman, Ade Adetimehin; the Ondo State representative on the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Otito Atikase; former Sports Commissioner Saka Yusuf-Ogunleye; and former Water Resources Commissioner Yetunde Adeyanju, among others.

In the aftermath, allegations emerged from some quarters that the governor’s camp orchestrated the disruption, claiming he had not approved the timing of the meeting. However, no official confirmation has substantiated those claims.

The former commissioner, Adeyanju, who was allegedly rough-handled by the thugs said, “The thugs came and were shouting, ‘we are from Aiyedatiwa.’ They specifically mentioned Aiyedatiwa, that ‘Aiyeatiwa sent us. We don’t want congress in Ondo State. The governor is in charge. The governor is the leader of the state and the governor is in charge. Nobody can query the authority of the governor and anybody that wants to talk about congress in Ondo State will be assassinated. If you talk about congress in Ondo State, you will be assassinated.’ They said that Aiyedatiwa owned the state, so, nobody should talk about congress.

Corroborating Adeyanju, the state party chairman, Adetimehin said, “The chairman of the committee (from Abuja) said we should hold a stakeholders meeting today (Tuesday). We both agreed to hold the meeting by 12pm. Then we sent this out for all of us to attend. Then I told the governor that I heard from the grapevine that some people were mobilising to the secretariat to destroy the meeting. He said no that such a thing cannot happen under his watch, that he would take charge. He (Aiyedatiwa) said he would caution anybody behind it, but 30 minutes later, the place was invaded with thugs, with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons. They beat hell out of all the leaders and members, except those who are for them. They beat me and dragged me on the floor; they took away my two phones and money from my pocket, with my wristwatch.”

However, Governor Aiyedatiwa denied any involvement in the disruption. The stakeholders’ meeting was eventually held later on Tuesday evening at the party secretariat — albeit in the absence of the state chairman.

The governor maintained that supporters of various aspirants were responsible for the violence, insisting he had no hand in the attack. He further clarified that the earlier gathering which was disrupted was not an officially recognised stakeholders’ meeting.

“But this one was an impromptu stakeholders’ meeting because of the congresses at the ward and local government levels. As he said, the meeting was shifted to 2pm because it was initially fixed for 10am and I said I would not be able to make it at that time. Later on, I got a call from one of them saying there were some problems around, or some miscreants around the party secretariat. I asked him to call the Commissioner of Police, and I also called the Commissioner of Police to ensure the place was protected because I was going to attend the meeting.

“I asked that security operatives be deployed to protect the place. Later, I got to know that some miscreants, who had sympathy for one aspirant or the other, those who are contesting for one position or the other, were moving around and trying to create some kind of fracas among them, which led to some disturbances.”

A chieftain of the party and Director-General of the pro-BTO group known as the Grassroots Movement for Tinubu, Saka Yusuf-Ogunleye, confirmed the internal crisis in the state APC relating to the governor and the minister, but blamed the governor for not managing the situation well as the leader of the party in the state.

Yusuf-Ogunleye, who was a former Commissioner for Sports in the state, alleged that Tunji-Ojo had been taking care of the party after it was abandoned by the governor. According to him, the gesture had earned the minister significant popularity, leaving the governor jittery.

He stated, “Let me tell you, there is what is called an inferiority complex. When the governor abandons the party — the people who brought him into power — it is BTO who steps in to take care of them. For instance, during the last Christmas period, when the governor was distributing rice to every local government, the rice was delivered to and received by political office holders and not party members.

“The party was abandoned, and it was BTO who brought rice and gave 20 bags to each ward, irrespective of affiliation. He is not shunning the party; he is taking care of it. But the governor is not happy about it because he (Tunji-Ojo) did not allow party members to suffer.

“If not for BTO today, there would be no APC in the state. That is the truth. That is why you see all the party leaders on his side. But the governor is not comfortable. They are saying BTO wants to become governor. You (Aiyedatiwa) have not even spent a year in office. You still have about three years in this tenure. Why not concentrate on governance and build the party? As a governor, why are you beating your party people? More than 17 party leaders are in different hospitals in the state now after the attack yesterday (Tuesday). Why resort to violence?”

On the contrary, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor declared that Aiyedatiwa remained the leader by virtue of his position as the state governor and that he had been carrying everyone along in the spirit of fairness while playing a strong leadership role in the party.

He denied any rift between his principal and the minister.

“The governor is the leader of the party and father to all party members. He has always provided leadership that embraces all groups and interests in the party since he became governor. He is the first governor in the history of the state to hold quarterly stakeholders’ engagements with party leaders, and this has fostered unity and a sense of belonging in the APC in the state.

“On the crisis in the ward congress in some parts of the state, the pockets of issues recorded have nothing to do with the governor, and that is why he called on security agencies to restore order at the party secretariat on Tuesday. The governor has also called on security agencies to investigate the crisis that took place in Idanre earlier today (Wednesday) and bring the perpetrators to justice.”

“He has also appealed to all aspirants contesting for party positions to call their followers and supporters to order as his administration will not tolerate any breakdown of law and order in any part of the state,” he stated.

In the same vein, the state Commissioner for Information, Idowu Ajanaku, said there was no rift between the governor and the minister, adding that as leader of the party in the state, Aiyedatiwa has provided effective leadership and fostered unity among members.

“I am not aware of any crisis anywhere, the governor is the party leader , no argument about that,” Ajanaku said.

In a situation like this, one would naturally ask about the role of the party elders, who had previously claimed to be unaware of the matter.

However, it now appears they acknowledge that there is crisis brewing within the party and have promised to intervene, particularly concerning the attack on the secretariat on Tuesday.

The chairman of the elders’ forum, Pa Erastus Akeju, said, “This dichotomy between BTO and the governor is new to us; we were not aware of it. It has not been brought before the elders. BTO has not reported to us that the governor is after him. The governor has not reached out to us to say that BTO is challenging him.

“We are just waiting for an opportunity to see what is really happening. You see, when there is no report of violence or disagreement — physical disagreement, I mean — we cannot simply go to the governor and ask, ‘Are you quarreling with BTO?’ or ask BTO, ‘What is between you and the governor?’ We would be told, ‘Nothing.’ So it is only now, as the issue has escalated publicly into a physical confrontation, that we can say, ‘All right, it’s time for the elders to intervene.’”

A political affairs analyst, Lanre Alewa, described the cold war between the governor and the minister as unhealthy for the ruling party, particularly with the general election fast approaching. He also stressed the need for the two APC chieftains to rein in their supporters, whom he described as the major cause of the crisis.

He said, “The minister and the governor were together at the recent 50th anniversary celebration of Ondo State. They were on the podium together, and the minister visited the governor at the Government House. They were visibly together. So, some people may claim they are fighting, but I have not seen anywhere that the minister directly accused the governor, or the governor directly accused the minister.

“At times, these political jobbers, who call themselves supporters, cause such issues. They must be called to order by their principals so they do not destroy the party.

“They just go out into the streets and act as they please. You cannot ascribe that to the governor or the minister — that would be wrong. I have not heard either of them say anything to that effect. However, if such a dispute exists, the national leadership should intervene and settle the matter amicably.”

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Politics

Kanu’s freedom, Igbo presidency possible through alignment with Tinubu – Cubana Chief Priest

Published

2 days ago

February 18, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

Popular socialite and businessman Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest, has called on the people of the South-East to support with President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections in order to secure the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.

Reacting on Wednesday to a viral video where a South-East monarch urged the President to either release Kanu or return him to Kenya, the celebrity barman praised the monarch for taking the message directly to the seat of power.

He noted the monarch’s physical presence in Abuja was necessary to ensure the President heard the plight of the South-East.

Writing in Pidgin, Cubana Chief Priest wrote, “God bless you, Your Royal Highness for partaking in Nigeria. If Your Highness did not participate in Abuja, how Asiwaju wan take hear this message. If to say dem no record this video play for una, them for call his royal highness sell out say him don go collect money.”

He urged the region to “align” with the current administration rather than maintain a stance of opposition, saying, “Alignment is key, we no fit fight government, Asiwaju go free MNK. His Royal Highness don put am for Baba body. Let’s get along with Nigeria.”

The socialite further urged the South-East to reconsider its political stance ahead of the next elections, stating that Tinubu won the 2023 election without significant votes from the region.

Addressing the 2023 elections, he reminded his followers that President Tinubu emerged victorious without the majority of the South-East vote, suggesting that a repeat is likely in the future unless the region changes its approach.

He also suggested that active support for the current administration could be the “best stake” for the Igbo people to eventually produce a president.

He wrote, “Last election, Tinubu won without South-East, it’s clear he will win again. So why not give him the votes so he can do what we ask of him in return.

“Hopefully, he will hand over power to an Igbo man. He made Buhari president, a Hausa man. He made himself, a Yoruba man president. What makes you think he won’t make an Igbo man president if we clearly support him for one more term?

“Igbo best stake is on Asiwaju. Just think it out. Man has the best political structure in the country to win election make we no waste our votes.”

PUNCH Online reported on Tuesday that a traditional ruler from the South-East, Dr Lawrence Agubuzu, the Eze Ogbunechendo of Ezema Olo Kingdom, urged Tinubu to release Kanu, or return him to Kenya, where he was arrested, warning that his continued detention was fuelling agitation among youths in the region.