Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha has claimed that the immediate past president, Muhammadu Buhari, only got 3.2 million votes from the 2015 merger that birthed the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Mustapha, during the public presentation of According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesman’s Experience, a book authored by former presidential spokesperson Garba Shehu, dismissed insinuations that the contributions of any particular leader of the APC led to Buhari’s victory.
He argued that the president already had over 12 million existing votes which he brought from the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).
He stated, “In early 2013, as the leader of the Congress for Progressive Change, President Buhari formally requested and supported the creation of the CPC Merger Committee, part of a broader coalition-building process that brought together the ACN—the party under which I served as the Deputy National Chairman at that time.
“We also had our own transition Merger Committee, the ANPP, and a fraction of others. And elements of the ruling party, through the breakaway New PDP group, his endorsement and participation, along with other party leaders such as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, who was the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the ANPP lent credence, credibility, and direction to the merger, helping to unify it.
“This led to significant participation under the banner of the All Progressives Congress. That coalition built and paved the way for the first democratic defeat of an incumbent ruling party in Nigeria’s history. President Buhari’s integrity, national stature, and disciplined messaging were central to that breakthrough.
“Not only that, for us in the ACN, I do not intend to stir any controversy, but I will make bold to state this—that the merger in 2013 was midwife to present a Buhari or create a Buhari Presidency.”
According to Mustapha, APC made its most strategic decision in 2015 when it handed over its presidential candidacy to the former military head of state.
He also noted that since the former president started vying for the position in the 2003 election, he has recorded relatively high votes which could have secured him the seat.
“So basically, what we brought to the table, the other parties that were in the merger, in addition to Buhari’s 12.2 million votes, were 3.2 million votes,” he declared.
Recall that during a June 2022 visit to Ogun State to canvass for the support of party stakeholders ahead of the APC’s special presidential convention, Tinubu spoke of his unparalleled contributions to making Buhari president.
He narrated how Buhari compelled him to become his vice presidential candidate ahead of the 2015 election, stating that he was certain Tinubu could influence the election for them to be victorious.
The president, however, stated that he declined the offer because they were both Muslims and people from other political parties in the merger would not allow such a ticket to fly because of their interests.
Tinubu added, “If not for me who stood behind Buhari, he wouldn’t have become the president. He tried the first time, he failed, the second time, he failed, the third time, he failed. He even wept on national television and vowed never to contest again but I went to meet him in Kaduna and told him he will run again; I will stand by you and you will win, but you must not joke with Yorubas and he agreed.
“Since he became the president, I have never gotten ministerial slots, I didn’t collect any contract, I have never begged for anything from him, it is the turn of Yoruba; it is my turn. Please, stand by me, you delegates who are here from Ogun State.”
