Buhari campaign hits London... Cometh the Hour, Cometh Buhari
When the history books come to be written about Nigeria’s 2015 elections, think tank The Royal Institute for International Affairs (better known as ‘Chatham House’) will have played host to some of the most riveting episodes of the drama. A month ago the National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki trailed the idea that the elections would be postponed; yesterday it was the turn of presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari to set out his stall. For Nigerians in London, this is likely the closest we will get to a flavour of the electoral campaign itself.
When the history books come to be written about Nigeria’s 2015 elections, think tank The Royal Institute for International Affairs (better known as ‘Chatham House’) will have played host to some of the most riveting episodes of the drama. A month ago the National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki trailed the idea that the elections would be postponed; yesterday it was the turn of presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari to set out his stall. For Nigerians in London, this is likely the closest we will get to a flavour of the electoral campaign itself.
Appealing directly to the west to maintain its support for the Nigerian
constitution and electoral process, Buhari obliquely acknowledged the
error of his ways in his previous overthrowing of an elected government;
arguing that democratic norms, still fragile on the continent, need
consolidating. In a year in which Zimbabwe’s president-for-life, Robert
Mugabe became chairman of the African Union, Buhari said the prospect of
Nigeria holding free and fair presidential elections would consolidate
continental democracy more than anything else. But he stopped short of
offering an apology for his time as military ruler, insisting only that
he was a ruler and not a dictator.
Be that as it may, many of those opposed to his bid for power have
seized on this record to argue he is part of the old military elite that
should never seek to rule Nigeria again. On this count, Buhari pointed
to his three failed bids for the presidency, and the long legal battles
that followed his losses, as evidence of his commitment not only to
electoral politics, but entrenching democratic norms in Nigeria. The
former soldier, often praised for his ascetic lifestyle, was also at
pains to characterize himself as a true convert to multi-party
democracy.
Whether that is enough to swing the electorate in his favour remains to
be seen. What is evident is that Buhari’s team have been doing some
solid policy work. During his roughly 40 minute speech, he referenced
19th century British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli’s concept of two
nations in one, lambasting Jonathan for cultivating an economy for a
privileged few to enjoy, while most live in poverty.
But the most striking thing about the speech were the points of policy
Buhari promised – perhaps an influence of the Democratic Alliance
tradition brought by his political ally Senator Bola Tinubu, and his
policy chief, Kayode Fayemi. Buhari said that if elected his government
would create a public works programme to tackle youth unemployment;
provide free school meals, and lay the foundation for welfare provision
in the country. These would be paid for by tackling corruption in the
public administration.
The centrepiece of his speech was an attack on the Jonathan
administration’s handling of the Boko Haram insurgency in the
North-East. Calling the government’s failure “an act of will” rather
than circumstance, Buhari insisted that if elected president Nigeria
would “once again be a guarantor of regional stability”.
His detractors disagree. Outside, a voluble pro-PDP crowd was displaced
by a larger one of APC supporters, but not entirely. One demonstrator I
spoke to was vehemently opposed to Buhari contesting, insisting that
Boko Haram was a political invention to aid Buhari’s election as
president. An audience question in a similar vein was dismissed by
Buhari as “ill-informed”.
Ill-informed or not, such suspicions contributed to the febrile
atmosphere outside Chatham House – and indeed on the ground in Nigeria.
Buhari’s reputation for incorruptibility, which is perhaps the strongest
basis for his popularity, also generates perhaps the greatest fear
among many who have benefited from the largesse of the Nigerian state.
His administration, Buhari insists, will draw a clean slate, after which
all public administration will be expected to be free from graft.
Demonstrating a good command of facts, and addressing concerns about
both his age and the insinuations that he intends to impose Sharia law
on Nigeria, Buhari struck me as a charming, well-informed and
down-to-earth candidate, comfortable in the role of leader. While he
made a statement reassuring people that his leadership and tackling of
corruption would not be a witch hunt, it remains unclear whether the
leap of faith he is asking Nigerians to make is achievable.
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