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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