Former presidential aide Reno Omokri has strongly asserted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu played a decisive role in helping Muhammadu Buhari emerge victorious in the 2015 presidential election.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Thursday, Omokri dismissed recent claims by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, who suggested that Buhari did not need Tinubu to win the presidency.
Omokri described Mustapha’s remarks as a deliberate attempt to sow discord between Tinubu and Buhari, labeling the claims as both historically inaccurate and politically motivated.
“Boss Mustapha was just being silly. We have people like that who are trying to cause friction between Buhari and Tinubu,” he said.
Buhari’s “Captive Vote” Was Not Enough Without Southern Support
According to Omokri, Buhari consistently secured approximately 12 million votes from his stronghold in Northern Nigeria between 2003 and 2011, yet he lost all three elections during that period.
“Buhari had a captive vote of 12 million and has always had that since 2003, but what did it do for him? He lost in 2003, 2007, and 2011,” Omokri noted.
Omokri emphasized that Buhari only succeeded in 2015 after forming an alliance with Tinubu, who brought crucial votes from the South-West through the newly formed All Progressives Congress (APC).
“He was only able to win when something from the South was added to his captive 12 million votes. Buhari needed Tinubu. Without Tinubu, Nigeria’s political history would be different—Jonathan would have won.”
Nigeria’s Structure Requires Broad-Based Support
Omokri also pointed to the deliberate political structure of Nigeria, which he says ensures that no single regional or ethnic leader can win the presidency alone.
“The Nigerian variation has been structured—right from the Constituent Assembly of the Obasanjo military era—so that no tribal lord can ever become president. You need votes from across geo-political zones,” he said.
He concluded that without Tinubu’s strategic alliance and influence in the South-West, Buhari would have remained a “tiny dot in a circle” and failed again in 2015.
