Buba Galadima, a prominent figure in the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), has revealed that the late President Muhammadu Buhari was drafted into politics not by personal choice but as part of a strategic plan to counter what northern leaders perceived as a threat from the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC).
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Tuesday, Galadima disclosed that Buhari’s political journey was initiated by northern elites alarmed by OPC’s growing mobilization in the early years of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic.
“Some of us who brought him into politics had a mission, and I will reveal that today,” Galadima said. “General Buhari was not naturally inclined toward politics—he disliked politicians, believing them to be insincere. But we needed someone with national stature, and he fit that role.”
According to him, the turning point came in 2000 when the OPC reportedly mobilized over 500 vehicles to invade Ilorin in a bid to uproot what they described as Fulani structures in the city.
“At the time, the federal government under President Olusegun Obasanjo, and state leaders like then-Governor Bola Tinubu of Lagos, were doing nothing. Some of us believed these OPC activities were being quietly supported by powerful figures in the southwest,” he explained.
Galadima said a meeting was convened in Kaduna at the home of Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu, near General Ibrahim Babangida’s residence, to find a response. Attendees included notable figures such as Alhaji Wada Nas, Professor Auwalu Yadudu, and Alhaji Yahaya Suleiman, among others.
He continued: “We agreed that power could only be changed through two means: force or the ballot. Since military action wasn’t feasible, we needed a political response. That’s when the idea of Buhari came up.”
Although Buhari was initially resistant and expressed his disdain for politics, Galadima said he eventually agreed to join after much persuasion.
“Our goal was simple—put an end to OPC’s excesses. And it worked. Once Buhari declared for politics, we organized a massive rally in Daura, and the Obasanjo administration immediately became unsettled. That pressure forced the government to clamp down on OPC’s activities,” he stated.
Galadima concluded by saying their primary objective—to halt OPC’s campaign in Ilorin—was achieved with Buhari’s entry into politics, adding that the rest, as they say, is history.
