Former governor of Lagos and national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has pointed out that there is a marked difference between President Muhammadu Buhari’s military regime and hi current administration.
Tinubu said the military rule was in a hurry but his current approach is slow but steady.
Tinubu said this in Abuja during the presentation of a book, “Muhammadu Buhari: The Challenges of Leadership in Nigeria”, authored by a professor of International Studies, John Paden
According to him, the author “notes that in terms of style of leadership, Buhari, as a young military head of state, was in a hurry. However, now that he is older and given his experience, he is slow but steady in his approach to governance.”
The APC chieftain said Buhari surprised many during the presidential election campaign, with his agility and the “broad canvas” on which he operated.
Tinubu said: “In tracing the evolution of Buhari, the national leader, the author’s assertion is that military rule is based on the power its holders can wield, while civilian rule is based on the legitimacy derived from elections is a point with which I dare not debate.
“Buhari’s career embodies this, hence his transition from being a military ruler to being a civilian leader who subjected himself to the rigours and uncertainty of elections four times. Thrice, he patiently went to court, seeking redress from electoral manipulation.
“The author, quite accurately, remarked on the Buhari’s victory equation as flowing from northern grassroots support and coalition building with the southwest as well as with other tendencies.”
Tinubu also explained that the party fielded Prof. Yemi Osinbajo as Buhari’s running mate in the 2015 general elections to ensure a religiously balanced ticket.
I had my differences with Buhari but we didn’t settle them with guns — Obasanjo
Speaking at the same event, former President Olusegun Obasanjo noted that all Nigerians need to be committed to “the unity, development, wholesomeness and progress” of the country.
The former president said he and Buhari had sustained their relationship despite having been in a direct political opposition in the past.
“President Buhari and I have had many encounters, but most of them in parallel. Not too long ago, we had a direct opposition at the ballot box but even then, it did not affect our relationship. And fortunately, we didn’t have to look at each other through the barrels of our guns. I thank God for that,” he said.
Obasanjo, who congratulated the author and the subject, said the book was for those wanting “to know about Nigeria yesterday and today and those who want to know a little bit about, if you like, their present leader.”