Former President Muhammadu Buhari has died in London at the age of 82, sending shockwaves not only through Nigeria’s political class but across millions of loyal northern supporters who saw him as more than a politician — he was a movement, a symbol, almost a saint.
In 2015, Buhari’s charisma and “mai gaskiya” (man of integrity) reputation swept the APC to power with a record-breaking 15.4 million votes nationwide, with the North West alone delivering over 7 million votes. Even in 2019, despite growing disillusionment, he secured 15.2 million votes, again carried heavily by his northern base. Buhari wasn’t just a vote-getter; he was the spiritual glue binding the northern political elite and the grassroots to the APC.
That glue has now dissolved overnight. With Buhari gone, the northern bloc is left leaderless and exposed. Political analysts warn that a dangerous vacuum has emerged, and like nature, politics abhors a vacuum. Northern power brokers who once leaned on Buhari’s massive popularity to consolidate influence will now scramble for new alliances, new messiahs, new deals.
The timing could not be worse for President Tinubu and the APC. Nigeria today is reeling under record inflation, a collapsing naira, skyrocketing food prices, and the harsh reality that over 133 million Nigerians are now classified as multidimensionally poor, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (2022). The so-called “renewed hope” mantra has rapidly curdled into widespread despair and anger.
Buhari’s death might become the final blow to an already shaky northern support system for Tinubu. Many loyalists in Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, and other core northern states supported the APC simply because of their faith in “Sai Baba.” Now, the spiritual and emotional bond is gone.
Meanwhile, opposition forces — including the new mega coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) rumored to be backed by Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar, Nasir El-Rufai, and others — are lurking like sharks smelling blood. The North, suddenly orphaned, may gravitate toward any force that promises a stronger defense of regional interests and better economic relief.
For Tinubu’s inner circle, the calculations have turned nightmarish. How do you hold a fragmented base together when your biggest unifying figure is no more? How do you convince a disillusioned, economically battered northern electorate to stay on your side without their beloved general?
Buhari’s death will not just be mourned at prayer grounds across northern cities; it will be felt at the ballot box, in palace intrigues, in dusty village meetings, and in Abuja strategy sessions. The 2027 presidential election is no longer merely a referendum on Tinubu’s performance — it has morphed into a battle for northern identity, loyalty, and survival.
As condolences pour in, the political knives are being sharpened. New kingmakers will rise, new betrayals will unfold, and new alliances will be struck in hushed night meetings and smoky backrooms.
Nigeria just entered a new political chapter, and it promises to be brutal, raw, and utterly unpredictable. The game has changed forever, and those who fail to read this new northern script may find themselves swept away in the coming political tsunami.
The North is up for grabs. The race to inherit Buhari’s mantle has already begun. Nigerians, brace yourselves — the storm is here.