Former Director General, Voice of Nigeria (VoN), Osita Okechukwu, has stated that no politician in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) can fill the shoes of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to him, no politician in the opposition coalition can inherit Buhari’s 12 million-vote bank.
Speaking on Sunday in Abuja after an interdenominational church service in honour of Buhari, Okechukwu said that political stakeholders do not possess the uncommon humanity, integrity, transparency, and moral compass that Buhari possesses.
He said, “With the greatest respect to prominent politicians who expectedly want to inherit late President Buhari’s much celebrated 12 million Vote-Bank; one wishes to submit that the Buhari’s shoe is too big and his uncommon humanity, integrity, transparency quotient and moral compass are antithetical and herculean task to their aspirations.
“None of them throughout their public service has either the moral compass or ever waged an anti-graft war against primitive accumulation. They have no character strength like Buhari for emulation and never campaigned for election without the forbidden and unlawful baggage of Vote-Buying.
“We must appreciate that the mass appeal rating of Buhari as Mai Gasikiya (Honest Man) and their support for him was predicated on scrutiny of his transparency and truthfulness spanning a period of over 50 years of public service.
“The masses are aware that some of these characters are those who allegedly stripped our State Owned Enterprises like NEPA, Aluminum Smelter Company, Ajaokuta Steel et al, in the name of privatization without commensurate result.”
The All Progressives Congress APC chieftain recalled that between 1975 and 2025, Buhari served as Governor of the defunct North East, Federal Commissioner of Petroleum Resources, General Officer Commanding GOC of three divisions, Military Head of State, Chairman of Petroleum Trust Fund PTF and civilian President, without blemish.
He expressed surprise at the obsession of key opposition ADC aspirants, who, he said, wittingly or unwittingly believe that they can ride on Buhari’s 12 million vote-bank with the northern card emblem.
“Flying Northern Card is a mirage because Northern Electorate is one of the most sophisticated, demonstrated by their patriotism in voting more for Abiola in 1993 and giving Tinubu more votes in 2023 than the Southern Electorate.
“Those who crave access to the famed Buhari’s 12 million Vote-Bank are consciously pitching the North against the South in a bid to truncate the two-term convention for each region.
“They should have a rethink, because equity, justice and fairness constitute the bedrock of our democracy.
“At any rate, we have nothing to fear as none of them has either Buhari’s moral compass or discipline, and most importantly, they never subscribed to Malam Aminu Kano’s Talakawa (proletarian) tradition to qualify for Northern cult followership,” he said.