The Presidency has strongly countered claims by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, insisting that President Bola Tinubu played a decisive role in the emergence of Muhammadu Buhari as presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2014.
Temitope Ajayi, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, made the remarks in response to Mustapha’s comments during the launch of Working with Buhari, a book authored by former presidential spokesman Garba Shehu.
At the book event, Mustapha argued that Buhari’s emergence as president was not due to any single individual, noting that the former general already had a loyal base of 12.5 million voters, while the coalition of parties that formed the APC contributed about 3 million more — a combination that secured victory over Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.
But Ajayi, writing via his verified X handle @TheTope_Ajayi, dismissed the suggestion, calling it a distortion of historical facts. He stressed that without Tinubu’s political machinery and support from APC governors, Buhari might not have even secured the party’s ticket.
“There is no way Buhari would have won the presidency without first clinching the APC ticket,” Ajayi wrote. “And he would not have secured the APC primary in 2014 without Tinubu rallying support for him in the South-West and beyond.”
Ajayi highlighted that Buhari had contested and lost the presidency three times — in 2003, 2007, and 2011 — despite his strong support base in Northern Nigeria. According to him, it took Tinubu’s strategic alliance and coalition-building skills to transform Buhari into a winning candidate in 2015.
“Let’s not rewrite history. Tinubu’s role was critical and cannot be downplayed,” he added.
The exchange comes amid rising intra-party tensions, with some APC insiders accusing former officials under Buhari — including ex-Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai and former Attorney General Abubakar Malami — of working against Tinubu’s administration and his potential 2027 re-election bid.
Sources close to the Presidency say Tinubu loyalists are uneasy over Buhari’s silence, especially in light of perceived opposition from El-Rufai and Malami, both of whom wield considerable influence within the APC.
Observers note that this public spat over political history is a reflection of deeper divisions within the party, as old alliances begin to fray and new power blocs emerge ahead of the next general elections.
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