Buhari undertook military training in three countries
Having received the bulk of his education in Katsina, a town in northern Nigeria near the Niger border, before beginning military training. In addition to attending the military training school and military college in Kaduna in northwestern Nigeria, he also received training in Great Britain (Officer’s Cadet School, Army Mechanical Transport School), India (Defence Services’ Staff College), and the United States (United States Army War College).
He continues to defend his military coup
In October 2005, he defended the military coup he led in on December 31, 1983, when he deposed the elected civilian government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari, “The military came in when it was absolutely necessary and the elected people had failed the country.” He further said, “It is up to the people. If you choose correct leadership, there won’t be any need for the military regime.”
Over 500 officials were jailed during Buhari’s 20-month stint as leader
As a part of his campaign against waste and corruption, Buhari sent 500 politicians, officials, and businessmen to prison. While some praised his attempts to make Nigeria’s government more accountable, others saw it as the tactics of a repressive military ruler
He was one of two private African individuals to be invited to Barack Obama’s inauguration
Demonstrating the respect that Buhari commands on the international level, he was one of two private individuals invited by the White House to Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony.
He was imprisoned for 40 months following his leadership
Buhari was deposed in a palace coup led by General Ibrahim Babangida on August 27, 1985. He was imprisoned for 40 months following the coup, as the new leaders felt he had not made the restoration of civilian rule a priority. He had also lost much popular support, as people protested the austerity measures, declining health care services, and worsening economic conditions
A loss by Buhari would most likely lead to much anger in the north
Due to Nigeria’s vastly diverse ethnic groups, an unwritten agreement has ensured that power rotates between the Muslim-majority north and Christian south every two terms – an agreement that was undercut with President Jonathan’s primary victory in December 2014, leading to dozens of ruling party legislators defecting and losing the People’s Democratic Party’s majority in the lower house of Parliament. Should Jonathan win again in February 2015, it will exacerbate the perception that power in the country has become concentrated in the oil-rich south.
He has run unsuccessfully for President of Nigeria on three occasions
Buhari ran in the 2003, 2007, and 2011 presidential elections in Nigeria, but was unsuccessful in his campaign on each count. In 2003, he lost to the People’s Democratic Party nominee, President Olusegun Obasanjo, by a margin of over 11 million votes – while there were some allegations of fraud, courts found that the level of proven electoral fraud was not sufficient to have affected the outcome of the election. He lost to Umaru Yar’Adua in 2007, winning only 18% of the vote, and again in 2011 to current President Goodluck Jonathan, earning just over 12 million votes, to Jonathan’s nearly 22.5 million
Buhari’s economic principles and political ideology continue to be referred to as Buharism
In his efforts to get Nigeria’s public finances back in line, Buhari’s government curbed imports into the country, refused to devalue the Naira, curtailed oil theft, bartered illegally bunkered crude oil for needful goods, and more. While many praised the government’s successfulness in reducing inflation, many of the changes also resulted in widespread job losses and business closures, lowering living standards for many
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