The sounds of their first names might be similar, but the spellings are not, Muhammadu Buhari and Mahamudu Bawumia.
If they cite Buhari as an example to convince you to vote for their candidate, respectfully educate them with the following FACTS:
1. Muhammadu Buhari tried it 4 times (16 years) before making it to the Presidency, even though the Muslim-Christian population was almost 50-50 from 2003-2015.
2. Muhammadu Buhari ruled Nigeria from 1983 to 1985 as a Military dictator, an experience that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has never had.
3. Muhammadu Buhari contested the 2003 presidential election on the ticket of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), and lost to Olusegun Obasanjo of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
4. Muhammadu Buhari contested the 2007 presidential election of Nigeria on the ticket of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), and lost to Umaru Musa Yar’Adua of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
5. Muhammadu Buhari contested the 2011 presidential election of Nigeria on the ticket of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), and lost to Goodluck Jonathan of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
6. Muhammadu Buhari contested the 2015 presidential election of Nigeria on the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), a united force of almost all opposition parties and breakaway factions of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). This time, after the 4th attempt, Muhammadu Buhari was able to defeat Goodluck Jonathan and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). It is worth mentioning that in 2015, Boko Haram was in full support of the ticket of Muhammadu Buhari.
It took Muhammadu Buhari 16 years to wrest power from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). So, is the New Patriotic Party (NPP) willing to also patiently wait for 16 years in opposition before attaining power to rule again?
7. The Running-mate to Muhammadu Buhari for the 2015 presidential election was Yemi Osinbajo, who is a Pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest churches in Nigeria under the leadership of one of the most respected fathers of the Christian faith, Pastor Enoch Adeboye.
The question is, if Dr. Bawumia is presented for the 2028 general election, would he drop Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh and go for a Pastor from the Church of Pentecost, Methodist, Catholic, or any of the largest Charismatic Churches to cure the religious deficiency of Dr. Bawumia’s ticket?
8. In terms of tribe, Buhari comes from the Hausa-Fulani ethnic group, the largest ethnic group in Nigeria, with a population percentage of about 21-30%, with 95% being Muslims.
I sincerely don’t subscribe to the politics of religion and ethnicity; I believe in competence to deliver. That’s why I find it very problematic for some leading members of Bawumia’s campaign team to use Muhammadu Buhari as an example of why we should elect Dr. Bawumia as the presidential candidate of the NPP. If we go by the way of religion and ethnicity, then there is absolutely no need for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to even dream of contesting a presidential election in Ghana, as the demographics are completely unfavorable to his ticket.
Also, it is problematic to compare the ticket of Mahamudu Bawumia to the Muslim-Muslim ticket used by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to win the 2023 presidential election of Nigeria because:
1. From 2023 to date, Nigeria has a Muslim population of 56% and a Christian population of 43%.
2. Tinubu has been a co-founder of the All Progressives Congress (APC), formed in 2013, and once served as the National Chairman of APC.
3. Tinubu has been a very powerful force within the political space of Nigeria, previously serving as a founding member of the Social Democratic Party (1992-1993), the Alliance for Democracy (1998-2006), and the Action Congress of Nigeria (2006-2013).
4. Tinubu is a member of the Yoruba ethnic group, with a population percentage of 18-21%, made up of 50-50 Islam and Christianity. Tinubu is the third Yoruba leader to rule Nigeria. Yoruba is the second largest Ethnic group in Nigeria.
5. The wife of Tinubu, Remi Tinubu, is a Christian with a mixed heritage of Yoruba and Itsekiri.