Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha has dismissed the narrative that Tinubu contributed heavily to Former President, Muhammadu Buhari’s Victory in 2015.
At the launch of “According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesman’s Experience” in Abuja on Wednesday, Mustapha emphatically rejected claims that Bola Tinubu was chiefly responsible for Muhammadu Buhari’s 2015 victory. He maintained that the far smaller vote tally contributed by merger partners amounted to just three million—hardly a game‑changer beside Buhari’s solid 12 million‑plus base in the North.
“I do not intend to stir up any controversy,” Mustapha said, addressing a capacity audience that included former Head of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd.), immediate past Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, and Current SGF, George Akume, who stood in for President Tinubu. “The merger in 2013 was midwifed to create a Buhari presidency. Let us look at the statistics. In the 2003 election…Buhari recorded 12.7 million votes. In 2007, it came to 6.6 million, and it went back to 12.2 million in 2011.”
He recalled that by combining Buhari’s tally with those of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and other factions, the newly formed APC amassed only about 15.4 million votes. “So, basically, what we brought to the table after the merger outside the Buhari 12.5 million votes was three million,” he stressed. “President Buhari’s integrity, national stature, and disciplined messaging were central to that breakthrough.”
Mustapha also paid tribute to Buhari’s leadership style during periods of extended medical leave, noting that those intervals “while politically delicate, were also telling of his leadership philosophy and personality.”
Reflecting on the coalition-building process, he added: “In early 2013, as the leader of the CPC, Buhari formally requested and supported the creation of a merger committee…His endorsement and participation, along with other party leaders such as President Tinubu and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, lent credibility and direction to the merger, helping to unify disparate party factions under the banner of the APC.”
