Tinubu’s Aide Claims Buhari’s 2015 Victory Relied on President’s Support, Highlights APC Tensions

On July 11, 2025, Mr. Temitope Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, declared that former President Muhammadu Buhari would not have secured the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential ticket in 2014 without the critical support of President Bola Tinubu. Speaking in response to comments by Mr. Boss Mustapha, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, during a book launch by Mr. Mallam Garba Shehu, former Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Ajayi challenged Mustapha’s claim that no single individual was responsible for Buhari’s 2015 election victory. Mustapha noted that Buhari’s 12.5 million loyal northern votes, combined with three million from APC’s legacy parties, led to his defeat of then-President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with approximately 15 million votes. Ajayi argued that Buhari’s success depended on winning the APC primary at Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos, where President Tinubu’s mobilization of APC governors and South West delegates was decisive, especially given Buhari’s losses in 2003, 2007, and 2011. The statement underscores internal APC tensions, as some of President Tinubu’s supporters worry about opposition from Buhari loyalists, including former Kaduna Governor Nasir el-Rufai and former Attorney General Abubakar Malami, SAN, who are reportedly undermining Tinubu’s 2027 re-election efforts, with former President Buhari taking no apparent steps to address the rift.