All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council spokesperson Alwan Hassan said President Bola Tinubu lacked former President Muhammadu Buhari’s full backing in 2023, raising questions about whether Tinubu can draw on Buhari’s base in 2027.
“Did we enjoy Buhari’s support in 2023? Let the truth be told, we did not,” Hassan said on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
The interview included a discussion of whether Tinubu could benefit from Buhari’s political base in a 2027 re-election campaign. Hassan’s remark concerned the degree of Buhari’s support, not Tinubu’s official election result.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recorded 8,794,726 votes for Tinubu in the Feb. 25, 2023, presidential election and declared him elected. The results declaration is dated March 1, 2023. INEC’s report gives the result but does not assess Buhari’s role in the campaign.
Nigeria’s State House said Buhari endorsed Tinubu and running mate Kashim Shettima at an APC rally in Jos on Nov. 15, 2022, and urged party members to support the ticket. A separate release said Buhari joined Tinubu at a Sokoto rally on Feb. 9, 2023, where he called on members to work for the ticket’s success.
The records show a public endorsement and two campaign appearances, but they do not establish the full extent of Buhari’s support or whether it influenced voters. Hassan’s statement concerns the degree of support he received, while the State House releases document specific public events. INEC’s tally identifies Tinubu as the winner but does not show which campaign figures influenced voters or how during the campaign.
EconoTimes previously covered Amaechi’s account of Buhari’s promise ahead of the 2022 APC primary to name him as the party’s preferred candidate, which Amaechi said led him to limit his campaign. That account concerned the primary contest; it does not measure Buhari’s backing for Tinubu in the general election.
