Former lawmaker Farouk Aliyu, once a close associate of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, has pushed back against recent comments by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, concerning President Bola Tinubu’s contribution to Buhari’s 2015 electoral success.
Aliyu, who appeared on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, the 10th of July, 2025, challenged Mustapha’s remarks, calling them misleading.
He maintained that Buhari’s consistent 12 million votes in past elections had never translated into victory until Tinubu came into the picture in 2015.
He claimed that some individuals who later held positions in Buhari’s government are now attempting to distort historical facts despite having played no role during the crucial political battles that led to Buhari’s emergence.
“My senior brother, Boss Mustapha, certainly got it wrong because I can’t even remember where he was at that time,” Aliyu said during the interview.
He added, “Unfortunately, there are many of these Buhari converts who were not with Buhari. I don’t want to mention names, but most of them happened by accident or fate to become what they became, and they are now trying to deconstruct history. It is not true.”
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Aliyu credited Tinubu with playing a pivotal part in Buhari’s rise as both the All Progressives Congress (APC) flagbearer and eventual winner in the 2015 presidential election. He recalled that he personally served as Buhari’s returning officer during the party’s presidential primary in Lagos and witnessed firsthand the quiet but strategic support Tinubu offered during the process.
Responding to views that Buhari didn’t support Tinubu ahead of the 2023 elections, Aliyu disagreed.
He insisted Buhari had ample opportunity to undermine the APC’s chances if he wanted to but chose restraint instead.
“If Muhammadu Buhari did not want APC to win the election, he would have done several things to ensure that they don’t win,” Aliyu stated.
His comments were a rebuttal to those made by Mustapha during a book launch in Abuja on Wednesday, the 9th of July, 2025, where the former SGF said Tinubu was not responsible for Buhari’s victory.
Mustapha argued that Buhari already had a firm base of 12 million loyal voters, and the party merger only brought in an additional three million.