Political analyst, Jide Ojo, has said that the conduct of the late President Muhammadu Buhari in the run-up to the 2023 elections suggested that the former president did not intend Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to succeed him.
In a recent interview with Naijaonpoint, Ojo argued that the chaotic naira redesign and cash squeeze under the leadership of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele, introduced months before the polls, undermined the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate and looked “tailor-made to hobble the ruling party’s flag bearer.”
According to Ojo, if carefully studied, one will understand that the timing and execution of the naira swap were strategic and that everything pointed to a transition that wasn’t designed with Tinubu in mind.
Naijaonpoint reports that Ojo referenced the Central Bank of Nigeria’s abrupt swap of ₦200, ₦500 and ₦1,000 notes, announced in late 2022 and implemented in early 2023, which triggered a nationwide cash scarcity and public anger.
Recall that the CBN had at the time claimed that the redesign would curb hoarding and illicit cash, but poor implementation led to severe shortages before the February 2023 elections.
The Supreme Court ruled the rollout unlawful and ordered old notes to remain legal tender through December 2023.
How Tinubu Delivered Southwest For Buhari, Picked Osinbajo To Woo Christians
Ojo also revisited 2015, claiming Tinubu’s alliance “delivered decisive Southwest votes” that helped Muhammadu Buhari break through after three failed presidential runs.
He added that the choice of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, a senior pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), as Buhari’s running mate was a strategic masterstroke “to reassure Christian voters and broaden APC’s appeal.”
The analyst described President Tinubu as one of the most strategic politicians of his generation, saying his coalition-building, candidate selection and party machinery show a long view of politics.
“I am not saying he is a perfect man. He has his flaws, but I think we need to understudy him more by his politics and strategy.
“He is a man that has long vision. Even when his appointments are very strategic, his appointments are not destructive. He appoints people who add value to himself,” Ojo acknowledged.
Speaking further on Osinbajo’s emergence as Buhari’s Vice in the build-up to the 2015 general elections, Ojo said, “Tinubu picked Osinbajo for several strategic reasons. He picked Osinbajo because he is an in-law to Awolowo. He is married to Dolapo, the granddaughter of Awolowo in Ekenne.
“Tinubu picked Osinbajo because he is a Redeemed pastor, a senior pastor in the RCCG. The Christian minority, or Christian groups, will vote massively for one of their own. Even if it is a vote of the Redeemed church alone, millions of members are there, even in the PFN (the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria).
“And that was how they voted. Many of them never voted before. But, ah, it’s our pastor! Our pastor is on the ballot. He is a lawyer. So, the NBA was standing behind him. He is the son of Awolowo. He is a senior advocate. He is an academic. Oh, he lectured at the University of Lagos. You understand? Strategy.”
In July 2025, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, corroborated Jide Ojo’s claims, stating that Tinubu was instrumental in Muhammadu Buhari’s emergence as Nigeria’s President in 2015.
Onanuga attributed former President Goodluck Jonathan’s defeat to his failure to secure crucial backing from the South-West region.
He made the assertions on his official 𝕏 (formerly Twitter) account, where he outlined Tinubu’s role in delivering victory for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015.
According to Onanuga, any debate about President Tinubu’s political weight must begin with an acknowledgement of his strategic contribution to Buhari’s historic win.
He said, “Tinubu ensured that Buhari clinched the APC presidential ticket by overcoming strong challengers like Atiku Abubakar and Rabiu Kwankwaso. But more critically, he gave Buhari what he had always lacked, geographical spread and additional votes from the South-West.”
Onanuga emphasised that Buhari had long enjoyed support in the North, consistently polling around 12 million votes in previous elections. However, it was Tinubu’s ability to rally the South-West that tipped the scales in 2015.
He further stated, “Former President Jonathan was aware that the South-West would be the decider in 2015. He spent weeks campaigning there to gain support but failed. Buhari, with Tinubu’s backing, won convincingly.”
Subsequently, while speaking during an interview on Arise TV, Onanuga dismissed recent claims by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, who argued that the merger that formed the All Progressives Congress in 2013 contributed only three million votes to Buhari’s eventual win.
The parties involved in the merger were the Congress for Progressive Change, Action Congress of Nigeria and All Nigerian Peoples Party.
Mustapha had earlier said that Buhari already commanded a consistent base of over 12 million votes before the merger, suggesting that the CPC’s alliance with ACN and ANPP played a minimal role in his victory over former President Goodluck Jonathan.
However, Onanuga insisted that Buhari would not have won the 2015 presidential election without the crucial support of Tinubu and the Action Congress of Nigeria.
He further countered Mustapha’s claim, stating that while Buhari had a strong northern following, he lacked the national spread required to win the presidency on his own.
Onanuga said Buhari, despite his millions of votes, was “nowhere” in the South and needed ACN for the electoral “spread” necessary to win the presidential election.
The presidential spokesperson asserted that ACN got Buhari the “important votes” in the south.
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