The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) faction within the All Progressives Congress (APC) has pushed back against suggestions that President Muhammadu Buhari’s rise to power in 2015 was solely due to Bola Tinubu’s political manoeuvring, insisting Buhari already commanded a formidable support base long before the APC merger.
Speaking on Wednesday in Abuja at the launch of According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesperson’s Experience, a book written by former presidential spokesman Garba Shehu, ex-Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, took issue with Tinubu’s earlier remarks downplaying Buhari’s independent political strength.
Addressing Tinubu’s widely quoted 2022 campaign assertion that Buhari would never have become president without him, Mustapha countered that Buhari’s grassroots appeal—particularly in Northern Nigeria—had been solidly entrenched years before the APC was formed.
“The CPC at the time controlled just one state, but the crucial votes that handed us victory were from CPC supporters,” Mustapha noted.
“Buhari already had 12 million votes locked in. What the merger added was around three million more. So it was never a case of anyone making another president. Buhari’s following was already deep-rooted,” he explained.
During a campaign stop in Ogun State back in June 2022, Tinubu had famously declared that if not for his efforts—rallying support, forging alliances, and stepping aside from a vice-presidential ambition—Buhari would never have clinched the presidency.
“If not for me talking to you today, Buhari would not have been president. I have served them for over 25 years,” Tinubu told party faithful at the time.
The remarks by Mustapha and the CPC bloc now highlight ongoing undercurrents within the APC, as different factions continue to assert their place in the coalition that brought Buhari to power.
