- Claims Buhari’s entry into politics was strategic, not voluntary
- Buhari branded politicians as dishonest
- Buhari’s political emergence forced then-President Obasanjo to act against the OPC
By Grateful Ogunjebe
Prominent NNPP chieftain, Buba Galadima, has revealed that former President Muhammadu Buhari was drafted into politics to prevent the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) from uprooting Fulani influence in Ilorin, Kwara State.
Eko Hot Blog reports that Galadima made this claim on Arise TV’s Morning Show on Tuesday, stating Buhari’s political career began as a defence strategy against rising Yoruba mobilisation in the early 2000s.
EDITOR’S PICK
- UNIZIK Suspends 2025/2026 SUG Election Over Electoral Disputes
- Youth Party, LP Seek Cancellation of Lagos LG Elections Over Alleged Malpractices
- Buhari Buried in Daura Amid Tight Security
According to Galadima, the OPC mobilised over 500 vehicles to invade Ilorin in 2000, allegedly aiming to dismantle what they termed Fulani control. He said northern elders were alarmed by the situation and took urgent action.
He recalled convening a high-level meeting in Kaduna at the residence of Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu, attended by 34 key Northern figures including Prof. Yadudu and Alhaji Wada Nas, to strategise a response to the threat.
Galadima said the group believed only two options could stop the OPC’s momentum through a military coup or democratic counterforce. Since violence wasn’t ideal, they chose the ballot box and turned to Buhari.
Buhari, who had no interest in politics at the time, initially rejected the proposal, branding politicians as dishonest. But he did not explicitly refuse, so the group continued persuading him to enter politics.
He concluded that Buhari’s political emergence forced then-President Obasanjo to act against the OPC. “That was our mission,” Galadima said, “and we achieved it the moment Buhari joined partisan politics.”
