Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has revealed that he almost publicly criticised late former President Muhammadu Buhari after his death, but his wife advised him against it.
Fayose made this known during an interview on Channels TV’s *Politics Today* on Friday. Buhari, who died in July 2025 at a private clinic in London, was buried in his hometown of Daura, Katsina State.
Fayose said many Nigerians have the habit of praising the dead, even if they didn’t perform well while alive.
“When President Buhari died, I wanted to come out and abuse him, but my wife stopped me,” he said. “I’m not one of those praising the dead. Don’t honour me when I die. When I die, I’m gone.”
He argued that Buhari’s time in office left Nigeria in a poor state, and questioned why people are now shifting blame to President Bola Tinubu, who took office in May 2023.
“Would you say Buhari performed?” he asked. “Nigeria was a mess under Buhari. Why are we blaming Tinubu now?”
Fayose, a well-known critic of past administrations, described Tinubu as more accessible than Buhari, saying things have improved in terms of leadership engagement.
“Tinubu is accessible. Was Buhari accessible? A lot of bad things happened under him, but they’re no longer the same under Tinubu. He is not perfect, but we are not where we were,” he added.
Fayose’s comments reflect ongoing public debate about the legacy of former President Buhari and the performance of the current administration.