BUHARI: LONG WALK TO PRESIDENCY

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States is regarded by many historians as one of the greatest examples of persistence and a vivid lesson on how to handle failure in life. Lincoln was born into poverty, faced defeat several times, but refused to quit. In fact, he lost eight elections, failed in business twice and suffered a nervous breakdown at the death of a loved one, yet he never gave up on his dreams. He later became one of the greatest presidents in American history. As Rusty Lindquist captured it in his blog – Life Engineering , ” what matters most is not how many times you fall but that you never give up trying.”
Muhammadu Buhari, the fifth democratically elected President of Nigeria may well be own own Abraham Lincoln when one considers his long, tortuous journey to Aso Rock Villa in Abuja. It is a walk that has taken him twelve years to reach his destination. This is no mean feat. It is only a man of rare courage, strong determination, uncommon vision and perhaps, special mission that could endure the stress of such an endeavor.
First Coming
In his first incarnation as leader of Africa’s most populous nation, Major General Muhammadu Buhari and his “colleagues in arms” shot their way to power. They were ushered in by the sonorous tunes of martial jazz in the wee hours of December 31, 1983. The ominous music was punctuated at regular intervals by the national anthem and a terse declaration that the government of President Shehu Shagari had been toppled in a coup detat.
The mere thought of a change by force; probable cross fire between troops loyal to the federal government and the coup plotters sent shivers down the spines of the citizenry. As the day rolled by and the military felt convinced they were in full control, Buhari was announced as the new Head of State. He launched his cardinal programme, War Against Indiscipline ( WAI) through which he confronted indiscipline, corruption and economic sabotage. But his reign was shortlived and he was overthrown in a palace coup on August 27, 1985.
The Interlude
Since he came by force and was pulled out unceremoniously, Buhari went into a life of solitude for thirteen odd years. These were the years of sustained military rule and endless political transition programmes. Even when his colleagues in arms retreated to the barracks and democracy was restored on 1999, Buhari still maintained a low profile.
The Return
When he saw that his former boss, General Olusegun Obasanjo was able to return to power as a democratically elected President, Buhari began to dream of a return too. He joined the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) and became its presidential candidate in the 2003 elections. He lost the election to Obasanjo who was then seeking a second term in office. He challenged the results of the election up to the Supreme Court but lost the legal battle. In 2007, Buhari was back again in the ring. Once again, he was the presidential candidate of the ANPP and the main challenger in the contest.
But he lost the trophy to President Umar Musa Yar Adua of the ruling People’s Democratic Party( PDP) in controversial circumstance. In anger and disappointment, he fell out with his party and began to seek an alternative platform to actualise his ambition. By 2011, he had formed the Congress for Progressive Change ( CPC) and had no troubles becoming its presidential candidate.
He was the central character in the party and commanded a large followership in the Muslim dominated northern parts of Nigeria. He was however able to garner twelve million votes and winning the governorship seat in one out if the 36 states in Nigeria. As in the previous attempts, Buhari lost the presidential race to President Godluck Jonathan, candidate of the ruling party. Buhari alleged he was cheated; he wept openly and declared that that was going to be his last attempt at seeking to rule Nigeria.
The Merger
Tired of challenging the PDP on individual basis, the opposition political parties in the country decided to join forces at the next general elections. They began the merger talks as the dust of the 2011 elections settled across the polity. Midway into President Jonathan’s tenure, the All Nigeria Peoples Party( ANPP) , Congress for Progressive Change( CPC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and a faction of the All Progressive Grand Alliance ( APGA) fused together to form the All Progressives Congress( APC), a mega opposition platform.
To them, the results of the 2011 election was an eye opener. If Buhari, flying the flag of a little known CPC , could gather twelve million votes, it would not be too difficult for the new political conglomerate to win the trophy work-ing together. After a lot of turbulence , the new party chose Buhari as its presidential standard bearer and Prof. Yemi Osinbajo as his running mate. From the onset, they left no one in doubt as to their mission- to dislodge PDP, the ruling party from the seat of power.
2015 Election
The 2015 presidential election became a watershed. Not only were the electioneering campaigns tedious, they provoked a lot of controversies, mudslinging and campaign of calumny. Although the APC enjoyed a ass following in the northern and south- western parts of Nigeria, Buhari’s candidature faced immense difficulties arising from his past as a military dictator. There were a lot of anxieties when questions were raised about his qualification to run. He failed to present his School Certificate and instead referred those who demanded it to approach the authorities of the Nigeria Armed Forces for it.
He was accused of lying on oath and dragged before the courts. In fact he face multiple charges in various courts as done Nigerians believed to be PDP loyalists sought to stop him. Fortunately, his return to power was a project whose time had come.
Needless to recall that he finally scaled these hurdles and went on to win the March 28, 2015 presidential election. The icing on the cake was that President Goodluck Jonathan conceded victory to the APC, accepting the outcome of the election even before the results were fully released. Apparently, Jonathan’s rare act of statesmanship humbled Buhari and saved the Nigeria from erupting into post- election violence.
May 29, 2015
Yesterday, he took his oath of office as the fifth democratically elected President of Nigeria. It was a colourful ceremony that attracted several world leaders to Abuja. It was an event that would be remembered for a long time to come. The previous day, he had received the hand- over notes from his predecessor in office, President Goodluck Jonathan . He and his deputy, Osinbajo were also conducted round the Aso Rock Presidential Villa. In life, not many persons have a second chance to rule over a kingdom.
If Buhari had been a king in the mediaeval times, perhaps he would have remained banished from the land after surviving the palace coup that truncated his reign when his colleagues in arms ousted him in 1985. For Buhari, this reincarnation is a dream come true; the fulfillment of a destiny and Nigerians look forward to the fulfillment of his promises to the electorate. He cannot afford to renege on his promise to stir up positive changes in various sectors of the society.