Buhari Was Drafted Into Politics To Stop Yorubas From Retaking Ilorin From Fulanis, Confesses Buba Galadima

Buba Galadima, a prominent northern politician and chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), has stirred public discourse with a revelation that the late former President Muhammadu Buhari’s entry into politics was a calculated move by northern elites to halt perceived Yoruba expansionism in Ilorin, Kwara State.

Speaking in a recent interview, Galadima alleged that Buhari’s political career was never born out of personal ambition or patriotic passion but rather orchestrated by a section of northern leaders who felt threatened by the growing influence of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) in the early 2000s.

According to Galadima, the OPC a Yoruba socio-cultural group known for its activism and self-determination rhetoric had mobilised extensively in the early years of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic with an alleged intent to challenge Fulani authority in the historically contested city of Ilorin, which, despite being in the Yoruba-dominated South-West, has been under the political influence of Fulani emirate structures.

“In the early years of this republic, the OPC was everywhere. Northern elders believed they were planning something bigger, especially concerning Ilorin. They feared the Yorubas might attempt to retake control of the city and dismantle Fulani dominance,” Galadima said.

He claimed that it was against this backdrop of growing ethnic and regional tensions that northern leaders turned to Muhammadu Buhari, then a retired military general with a reputation for discipline and northern loyalty.

“They believed Buhari, with his military credentials and popularity, was the right figure to rally the North and counter any perceived Yoruba resurgence. That’s how he was dragged into politics. It was never his original idea,” Galadima disclosed.

Ilorin, though geographically located in the South-West, has long been a melting pot of Yoruba and Fulani cultures. It remains a political and cultural flashpoint, especially concerning identity and heritage narratives between the two ethnic groups.

Galadima’s assertion adds a new layer to understanding Buhari’s political journey, which began in earnest in 2003 when he contested for the presidency under the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and later formed the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) before merging into the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2013 a party that eventually brought him to power in 2015.

This latest claim by Galadima has reignited debates around ethnic politics, the role of regional organizations like the OPC, and the enduring question of Ilorin’s cultural identity. It also highlights the extent to which regional power struggles influence national political decisions in Nigeria.