PMB’s One-Year Remembrance: Tinubu’s alliance cleared Buhari’s path to presidency in 2015 — Gowon
Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, has shed light on the critical political alliance that reshaped Nigeria’s recent history, stating that the strategic backing of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was the decisive factor that propelled the late Muhammadu Buhari to the presidency in 2015, The Nation Newspapers reported.
Gowon spoke on Monday in Abuja at the one-year remembrance event for the late former President, General Gowon reflected on Buhari’s long, arduous journey to political leadership and how his fortunes shifted after partnering with Tinubu.
The high-profile solemn gathering drew a distinguished assembly of leaders, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu—represented by the Vice President—former Heads of State, the leadership of the National Assembly, state governors, traditional rulers, and members of the diplomatic corps.
Gowon recalled that following his retirement from the military, General Buhari faced successive unsuccessful attempts to win the nation’s highest office.
“He contested several times but was unsuccessful,” General Gowon noted. “However, when he joined hands with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, they formed a strong political alliance. The support he received from Asiwaju Tinubu certainly helped him to emerge as President.”
The elder statesman emphasised that the political relationship between the two leaders was built on mutual loyalty that endured throughout Buhari’s eight years in office and culminated in a seamless transition of power in 2023.
According to Gowon, when it came time for Buhari to step down, the late president reciprocated the political goodwill by firmly backing Tinubu’s own presidential bid.
“As President Buhari prepared to leave office, he gave his full support to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to succeed him as President,” Gowon stated. “I remember clearly how committed President Buhari was to ensuring that Tinubu received the same support that Tinubu had given him during his own presidential journey.”
Gowon praised this mutual fidelity as a credit to Buhari’s character, noting that the late leader “stood firmly behind President Tinubu so that he could continue serving Nigeria.”
Reflecting further on the historic 2015 transition, Gowon recalled the immense global anxiety surrounding that election cycle while attending an African Union meeting in Ethiopia. He praised both former President Goodluck Jonathan for his patriotic concession and Buhari for graciously accepting it, an exchange that helped Nigeria avert a major post-election crisis.
Expressing his satisfaction with the current political landscape, Gowon concluded by highlighting the poetic justice in the two leaders’ political trajectories.
“I am also pleased that the support President Tinubu gave him eventually made it possible for President Tinubu himself to lead Nigeria,” Gowon said, rounding off a tribute that underscored how political partnership and loyalty shaped the nation’s leadership.
