Buhari never used vote-buying to win elections – Okechukwu
A former Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu, has said that no current political figure can lay claim to the political legacy of the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
Okechukwu stated this on Sunday in Abuja while speaking with journalists after an interdenominational church service held in honour of the late ex-President.
He noted that Buhari’s famed 12 million vote-bank was a product of decades of consistency, transparency, and public service, which, according to him, are difficult to replicate.
“With the greatest respect to those eyeing Buhari’s political base, the truth is that his shoes are too big. None of them has his uncommon integrity, discipline, or record of public service without blemish,” Okechukwu said.
The chieftain of the All Progressives Congress stated that Buhari’s legacy was built on values that resonated with the masses, particularly in Northern Nigeria, stressing that such a political base cannot be inherited easily.
“The people admired Buhari as Mai Gaskiya—the Honest Man—because of a legacy built over 50 years. He never soiled his hands in shady deals and never used vote-buying to win elections,” he added.
Okechukwu further criticised politicians allegedly using Buhari’s Northern appeal to stir regional sentiments, warning that such tactics threaten the rotational presidency principle that has helped stabilize the Fourth Republic.
He emphasised that northern voters have demonstrated political maturity and fairness over the years, citing their support for Chief MKO Abiola in 1993 and President Bola Tinubu in 2023 as examples of their broad-mindedness.
Warning against any move to ride on Buhari’s legacy for selfish political gain, Okechukwu said, “They neither have Buhari’s moral compass nor share the Talakawa ideology of Malam Aminu Kano. Their attempts to hijack Buhari’s political structure, including defunct CPC elements, have failed.”
Source: Punch
