Osita Okechukwu, a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has asserted that no current political figure has the credibility or integrity to inherit the political legacy and 12 million vote stronghold of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Speaking on Sunday during an interdenominational church service held in Abuja in honour of Buhari, Okechukwu, who is also the former Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), emphasized that Buhari’s enduring appeal in the North stemmed from his long-standing reputation for honesty, transparency, and public service.
“With all due respect to those positioning themselves to inherit Buhari’s legendary vote-bank, the reality is that his moral stature and principled leadership are far beyond their reach,” Okechukwu said. “None of them has demonstrated Buhari’s integrity or waged any credible war against corruption. Unlike Buhari, they have relied on vote-buying and carry the baggage of questionable political practices.”
He described Buhari as “Mai Gaskiya” (the Honest Man), revered in the North due to a five-decade record of clean public service — from military governor to petroleum minister, military ruler, PTF chairman, and civilian president.
Okechukwu criticized politicians, particularly from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), who are attempting to leverage Buhari’s northern support base, warning that such tactics ignore the sophistication and independent-mindedness of northern voters.
“Relying on ethnic or regional sentiment is a political mirage,” he stated. “The North has proven to be one of the most politically conscious regions, seen in their support for Abiola in 1993 and Tinubu in 2023.”
He cautioned that attempts to exploit Buhari’s legacy for political gain could jeopardize the power rotation principle, a crucial pillar of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic democracy and a key factor in maintaining national unity.
“The bid to co-opt Buhari’s loyalists into the ADC has already failed, thanks to leaders like Tanko Al-Makura and Aminu Masari,” he noted. “These aspirants lack Buhari’s discipline, integrity, and ideological grounding in the Talakawa (pro-people) tradition championed by Malam Aminu Kano.”
Okechukwu concluded by urging caution, warning that reckless political ambition could undermine the rotational presidency and disrupt the fragile balance that holds Nigeria together.
