The political narrative surrounding the 2015 presidential election gained fresh scrutiny on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, as Mr. Boss Mustapha, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) under President Muhammadu Buhari, subtly but firmly contradicted President Bola Tinubu’s long-held assertion that he was instrumental in Buhari’s victory.

Mustapha made his remarks during the unveiling of the book, “According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesperson’s Experience,” authored by Buhari’s former spokesperson, Garba Shehu, in Abuja. His comments directly addressed a famous declaration made by Tinubu in June 2022, during his presidential aspiration, where he told delegates in Ogun State that “If not for me who stood behind Buhari, he wouldn’t have become the president.” Tinubu had then recounted how he persuaded a disheartened Buhari to contest again after multiple failures and claimed to have nominated Professor Yemi Osinbajo as his running mate.

However, Boss Mustapha, a key figure in the Buhari administration, offered a different perspective on the 2015 electoral dynamics. While affirming he did not intend to stoke controversy, he stated, “No one single-handedly made Buhari president in 2015.” He clarified that President Buhari already commanded a formidable “12 million existing votes” from his previous electoral outings. The critical contribution, Mustapha explained, came from the merger of legacy parties – the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) – into the All Progressives Congress (APC). This merger, he noted, aggregated an additional “three million votes” to Buhari’s pre-existing base, bringing the total to the decisive 15.4 million votes that secured the presidency.

Mustapha’s assertion underscores that the victory was a collective effort of the merged political entities rather than the singular influence of any one individual. His comments, delivered at an event celebrating Buhari’s tenure, subtly reframed the historical account of the APC’s ascension to power.

President Bola Tinubu, who was represented at the book launch by the current SGF, Senator George Akume, also spoke at the event, acknowledging his predecessor’s foundational reforms and promising to consolidate them. The divergent accounts, however, highlight the ongoing efforts by prominent political figures to shape the historical narrative of Nigeria’s recent political transition.