By Sani Sa’idu Baba
As debates rage across Nigeria’s social media spaces over who will inherit the legendary “12 million votes” of former President Muhammadu Buhari, one fact remains clear, the question is misplaced and rooted in a false political reality. The idea that Buhari’s political base was intact before his death is a fallacy that needs urgent correction. In truth, the real political figure most aligned with that popularity and acceptance is not just by region, but by influence, national footprint, resilience, and voter connection. He is none other than former vice president Atiku Abubakar, who had since taken over such a popularity and acceptance long ago.
To say the truth, Nigerians have come to realise that, if Buhari is alive and were to contest today, he wouldn’t garner half the votes he once did. His cult-like following, especially in the North, was based on a deep well of trust in his capabilities and readiness. But after eight painful years, Buhari’s political capital has dried up. The once-blind loyalty of millions has turned into quiet regret, and in some quarters, outright rejection. May the soul of former president Muhammad Buhari continue to rest in Jannatul Firdaus and his sins be forgiven by almighty ALLAH, the forgiver.
In contrast, Atiku Abubakar’s political trajectory has aged like fine wine. The same propaganda that tried to demonise him, accusations, blackmail, and relentless lies have failed to erase the deep respect he commands across Nigeria. If anything, these smear campaigns have only sharpened public scrutiny and revealed a man whose vision has always been ahead of his time. A federalist. A bridge-builder whose tenacity in the pursuit of good governance has distinguished him in Nigeria political landscape. I am personally inspired by the Dele Momodu’s response to Ngozi Alaegbo’s question on Arise News interview asking about the same wrong question, the possibility of Atiku inheriting Buhari’s votes, and I quote “Everybody is afraid of ATIKU and that is the reason why I, DELE MOMODU will support him. The fact that he is the main issue tells me that there is something that the ruling government is running away from and any wise politician today will know that the new leader, because I listened to your question very well. Any reasonable politician will know that ATIKU is the most formidable politician from the Northern part of Nigeria”. Interestingly, Nigerians now openly admit that Atiku, not late former president Buhari, had the clearer roadmap for Nigeria’s unity and development.
Take a closer look at the numbers. In 2007, despite the challenges of running against a sitting government’s candidate, Atiku still held his ground. In 2019, he arguably defeated Buhari in the eyes of both Nigerians and the international community. Reports and observer missions documented electoral irregularities that cast a long shadow over the legitimacy of the declared results. For obvious reasons, many believed that the 15.2 million votes scored by the late former president Buhari was a simple reverse of the 11.3 million votes garnered by the former Vice president Atiku. But he (Atiku), ever the statesman, chose not to set the country ablaze. Instead, he took the legal path. He believed in institutions. He practically believed in democracy.
In 2023, Atiku once again proved his mettle. Against a heavily rigged system, financial coercion, ethnic card-playing, and state-sponsored intimidation, he emerged as a front-runner, yet again. No other politician in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic has shown such consistency, tenacity, determination, and political dexterity.
So when people ask, “Who will inherit Buhari’s votes?”, they are asking the wrong question. Buhari’s votes aren’t a family inheritance to be passed down. They are the collective will of millions who believed in something greater than tribe, religion, or party. And today, that trust is being realigned, not to the current occupants of power who have failed even more catastrophically, but to the man who has always stood firm with the people: Atiku Abubakar.
In my opinion, Atiku is Buhari’s political twin, but with compassion, experience, and a broader national acceptance today. The North appears to understand him better, and therefore trusts him. The South sees him as a bridge-builder and unifier. The youth admire his tenacity. The business class knows his capacity. And Nigerians, increasingly fed up with recycled mediocrity, are ready to give him the final baton.
Let the debate continue, but history will remember that when Buhari’s political myth faded, it was Atiku who rose, not as a replacement, but as the man who always deserved the mantle.
Therefore, if late former president Buhari represented hope in 2015, then former Vice president Atiku represents redemption in 2027 and he will by the grace of GOD be the next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Dr. Sani Sa’idu Baba writes from Kano
