In the echo chambers of Nigerian politics, some myths are so oft-repeated they begin to sound like gospel. Chief among them is the now tired claim that Bola Ahmed Tinubu “made” Muhammadu Buhari President in 2015. But is this statement a fact, a fable, or a convenient political fabrication? A deep dive into electoral history, power dynamics, and Nigeria’s complex political landscape reveals that this narrative is not just an exaggeration, but a mischievous distortion of history — one that dangerously undermines the role of millions of Nigerian voters, particularly from the North, and repackages collective sacrifice as a one-man triumph.
As an African proverb warns, “The man who boasts of giving you a crown may have hidden your knife.” Another one puts it bluntly: “The chicken may crow at dawn, but it is not the one that brings the sun.”
Let us set the record straight.
The Northern Hurricane That Was Buhari
Before the 2015 merger that birthed the All Progressives Congress (APC), Muhammadu Buhari was already a political juggernaut. He had contested and lost presidential elections in 2003, 2007, and 2011 — but in each, he pulled millions of votes, mostly from the core Northern regions.
In fact, in 2011, Buhari ran under the now-defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and secured over 12 million votes — without Tinubu, without the Southwest, and without any of the so-called political kingmakers of the South. He may have lost the election to President Goodluck Jonathan, but he proved what many feared: his mass appeal in the North was unmatched, organic, and politically dangerous for the PDP.
This was no small feat.
It was not Tinubu who created Buhari’s national relevance — it was the Northern poor, the talakawa, and the belief in Buhari’s spartan integrity that formed the foundation of his political strength. No one from the South could have conjured such loyalty, and no political alignment could have succeeded without first acknowledging this northern voter base.
Tinubu’s Role: Important, But Not Almighty
Let’s not rewrite history entirely — Tinubu played a strategic role in the formation of the APC in 2013. His Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) joined forces with Buhari’s CPC, ANPP, a faction of APGA, and defectors from the PDP such as Atiku Abubakar and Bukola Saraki to create the APC.
Tinubu delivered votes from four Southwest states in 2015 (Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, and Osun) and contributed money, media, and structure. But so did Amaechi in the South-South, Atiku in Adamawa, Saraki in Kwara, and Kwankwaso in Kano.
To suggest that Tinubu alone made Buhari President is like saying the drummer alone caused the entire village to dance.
Buhari Brought the Southwest to Power — Not the Other Way Around
Here’s the brutal truth many don’t want to hear: the Southwest had never, in Nigeria’s democratic history, delivered victory to any presidential winner until 2015.
Let’s review:
- 1979 & 1983: The region voted for Obafemi Awolowo, while Shehu Shagari won.
- 1999: The Southwest backed Olu Falae, and Olusegun Obasanjo (a Yoruba man!) lost heavily in his own region — yet won nationally with Northern and Southeast support.
- 2011: The region split between Ribadu and Jonathan, but didn’t carry the winning candidate on its back.
In fact, the only time the Southwest truly backed a winning presidential ticket was in the annulled 1993 election, when MKO Abiola, a Yoruba Muslim, defeated Bashir Tofa. But that victory was stolen, and never actualized.
So when Tinubu aligned with Buhari in 2015, it was not because the Southwest held the key to the villa — it was because Buhari held the only real path to power for the Southwest. They joined him, not the other way around. They rode the Buhari wave, not out of affection, but out of strategic necessity.
“A man does not carry a lion on his shoulders and still search for crickets,” says a Yoruba proverb. Tinubu saw clearly that in order to get his region into power, he had to tie his ambitions to Buhari’s northern force.
2023: Tinubu’s Own Run — Proof of the Myth
Ironically, Tinubu’s own presidential run in 2023 exposed the falsehood of the claim that he brought Buhari to power. If he were truly the kingmaker with national might:
- Why did he lose Lagos, his own base?
- Why did he lose Osun State, despite years of political dominance?
- Why was the overall turnout in the Southwest low, compared to the enthusiasm the region showed for Buhari in 2015?
The answer is simple: Tinubu needed the North — again. His eventual victory came on the back of Northern support, and the fractured opposition between Atiku and Obi.
Just like Buhari could not win without the North, Tinubu also could not win without the North. The North remains the electoral heartland of Nigeria, and no politician — Tinubu included — can ascend Aso Rock without its backing.
The Danger of Historical Distortion
To propagate the idea that Tinubu “made” Buhari President is not only dishonest — it is dangerous. It risks reducing Nigerian democracy to personal favours and political IOUs, rather than the will of the people.
The truth is this:
✅ Buhari made Tinubu politically relevant on a national scale by giving the Southwest a real seat at the table for the first time since independence.
That wasn’t because Buhari was a sentimental man. It was because power had to be balanced, and a national alliance was needed. Tinubu was a stakeholder, yes — but one among many, not the messiah.
Final Word
“When the roots of a tree are forgotten, the leaves will think they grew themselves.”
Buhari’s 2015 victory was the product of a movement, not a man. Tinubu may have added volume to the chorus, but the melody of Buhari’s triumph came from the North — loud, clear, and undeniable.
So the next time you hear someone claim that Tinubu “made” Buhari President, ask them: Can a region that never voted for a winning ticket until 2015 really give what it never had?
The facts speak louder than fables. History remembers truth — not propaganda.