Major-General
Muhammadu Buhari is scheduled to face incumbent President Goodluck
Jonathan in Nigeria’s presidential elections on February 14, 2015.
Buhari is the candidate for the new All Progressives Congress (APC)
party, formed last year as the result of a merger between four
opposition parties. Read on for an inside look at the opposition
candidate’s previous leadership history, and his platform for the
upcoming election.
Buhari undertook military training in three countries
Having
received the bulk of his education in Katsina, a town in northern
Nigeria near the Niger border, before beginning military training. In
addition to attending the military training school and military college
in Kaduna in northwestern Nigeria, he also received training in Great
Britain (Officer’s Cadet School, Army Mechanical Transport School),
India (Defence Services’ Staff College), and the United States (United
States Army War College).
He continues to defend his military coup
In
October 2005, he defended the military coup he led in on December 31,
1983, when he deposed the elected civilian government of Alhaji Shehu
Shagari, “The military came in when it was absolutely necessary and the
elected people had failed the country.” He further said, “It is up to
the people. If you choose correct leadership, there won’t be any need
for the military regime.”
Over 500 officials were jailed during Buhari’s 20-month stint as leader
As
a part of his campaign against waste and corruption, Buhari sent 500
politicians, officials, and businessmen to prison. While some praised
his attempts to make Nigeria’s government more accountable, others saw
it as the tactics of a repressive military ruler.
Buhari’s “War Against Indiscipline” (WAI) stretched beyond anti-corruption measures
The
campaign that became the cornerstone of Buhari’s tenure as leader in
the 1980s, Nigerians were forced to form orderly queues at bus stops
(under the watchful eyes of soldiers wielding whips, with orders to use
them on anybody who became unruly. Civil servants who were late for work
were forced to perform frog jumps as a form of humiliation, and
journalists were jailed under restrictive decrees on press freedom.
He was imprisoned for 40 months following his leadership
Buhari
was deposed in a palace coup led by General Ibrahim Babangida on August
27, 1985. He was imprisoned for 40 months following the coup, as the
new leaders felt he had not made the restoration of civilian rule a
priority. He had also lost much popular support, as people protested the
austerity measures, declining health care services, and worsening
economic conditions.
Buhari’s economic principles and political ideology continue to be referred to as Buharism
In
his efforts to get Nigeria’s public finances back in line, Buhari’s
government curbed imports into the country, refused to devalue the
Naira, curtailed oil theft, bartered illegally bunkered crude oil for
needful goods, and more. While many praised the government’s
successfulness in reducing inflation, many of the changes also resulted
in widespread job losses and business closures, lowering living
standards for many.
He has run unsuccessfully for President of Nigeria on three occasions
Buhari
ran in the 2003, 2007, and 2011 presidential elections in Nigeria, but
was unsuccessful in his campaign on each count. In 2003, he lost to the
People’s Democratic Party nominee, President Olusegun Obasanjo, by a
margin of over 11 million votes – while there were some allegations of
fraud, courts found that the level of proven electoral fraud was not
sufficient to have affected the outcome of the election. He lost to
Umaru Yar’Adua in 2007, winning only 18% of the vote, and again in 2011
to current President Goodluck Jonathan, earning just over 12 million
votes, to Jonathan’s nearly 22.5 million.
He has been accused of having a hand in post-election violence in 2011
The
Nigerian human rights group, the Northern Coalition for Democracy and
Justice (NCDJ), have asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to
bring charges against Buhari for his alleged role in the violence that
followed the 2011 presidential election. 800 people were killed, and
churches and schools destroyed, during the course of the three days of
riots following President Jonathan’s victory. The NCDJ has accused
Buhari’s party of systematically targeting non-Buhari supporters in
instances of murder, torture, and rape, though the All Progressives
Congress party has denied all claims.
Buhari is running on an anti-corruption platform
Continuing
his commitment to stamping out corruption, Buhari has focused his 2014
campaign on corruption measures, also pledging to tackle growing
insecurity in northern Nigeria with the Islamic insurgency. But while
many agree with his position on corruption and see his military
expertise as the answer to ongoing violence by the Boko Haram, many
question his ability to direct policy and the day-to-day of political
life.
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Buhari has accused Jonathan of failing to contain the Islamic uprising that has killed thousands
Buhari
has accused Jonathan and his administration of incompetence, and of
being too weak to control the Islamic uprising in northern Nigeria and
the ongoing violence carried out by the Boko Haram. He has perpetuated
his reputation as a disciplinarian and ruthless military leader that
would be able to contain the Boko Haram’s activities.
He was one of two private African individuals to be invited to Barack Obama’s inauguration
Demonstrating
the respect that Buhari commands on the international level, he was one
of two private individuals invited by the White House to Barack Obama’s
inauguration ceremony.
