A founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Osita Okechukwu, has said that none of the current politicians jostling to take over former President Muhammadu Buhari’s large voter base has the moral strength or public record to do so.
Speaking on Sunday at an interdenominational church service held in Abuja in honour of Buhari, Okechukwu described attempts to inherit the former president’s “12 million vote-bank” as unrealistic.
He argued that Buhari’s popularity in the North was not based on ethnicity or religion, but on trust built over more than 50 years of public service.
“With the greatest respect, Buhari’s shoes are too big for any of today’s politicians to wear. His honesty, discipline, and strong anti-corruption record are what won him the support of millions of ordinary Nigerians,” Okechukwu said.
He pointed out that unlike Buhari, many of those now seeking to rise on his name are tainted by corruption, vote-buying, and failed privatization deals that hurt Nigeria’s economy.
“Some of them were involved in stripping national assets like NEPA, Ajaokuta Steel and others without delivering any real benefit to the people,” he added.
Okechukwu, who also served as Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), listed Buhari’s long public career — from military governor to civilian president — as proof of his unmatched integrity.
He warned political figures, especially those in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), to stop trying to use Buhari’s northern popularity for their gain. He called it “a failed plan” and credited former governors Tanko Al-Makura and Aminu Masari for resisting attempts to drag Buhari’s old political allies into ADC.
He also cautioned against what he described as efforts to divide the country using northern identity politics.
“Let nobody think they can fool the North. In 1993, northern voters supported MKO Abiola, and in 2023, they voted massively for President Tinubu. The North is more politically mature than people think,” he said.
Okechukwu urged political actors to respect the rotational presidency arrangement between North and South, calling it a key part of Nigeria’s democracy and unity.
