The Presidency has asserted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu played a “pivotal role” in Muhammadu Buhari’s emergence as Nigeria’s president in the 2015 general election, attributing former President Goodluck Jonathan’s loss to his failure to secure crucial support from the South-West.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, made this claim on Thursday via his X account.
He emphasized that for any meaningful discussion on Tinubu’s 2015 political influence, his strategic contributions to Buhari’s victory must first be acknowledged.
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Onanuga referenced a statement by former SGF Babachir Lawal, noting that Lawal’s remarks only touched upon a fraction of Tinubu’s overall impact in ensuring Buhari’s path to the presidency.
“Tinubu ensured that Buhari clinched the APC presidential ticket by overcoming strong challengers like Atiku Abubakar and Rabiu Kwankwaso,” Onanuga stated, adding that “more critically, he gave Buhari what he had always lacked — geographical spread and additional votes from the South-West.”
He further explained that while Buhari consistently received approximately 12 million votes in prior elections, it was Tinubu’s influence in the South-West that provided the essential “spread required for electoral victory” in 2015.
Onanuga concluded, “Former President Jonathan was aware that the South-West would be the decider in 2015. He spent weeks campaigning there to gain support but failed. Buhari, with Tinubu’s backing, won convincingly.”
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