Inside Buhari ‘s 2015 campaign
Gen. Muhammadu Buhari
General Buhari flagged off his 2015 presidential campaign in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, unlike in 2011 when he began in Kaduna, where he resides.
His campaign trail is now managed by a Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) peopled by eminent politicians drawn from various parts of the country.
This is far different from his campaign in 2011 where his campaign was managed by his ‘associates’ from The Buhari Organisation (TBO).
This is not to mention the fact that the former Head of State has a chartered aircraft that shuttles him and his delegation from one campaign location to the other, unlike in 2011 where he executed over 90 percent of his campaign by road.
Campaign structure
In 2011, Buhari’s presidential campaign was headed by the TBO’s director general and the secretary Sule Yahaya Hamma and Buba Galadima respectively.
The duo of Hamma and Galadima, who were CPC’s Board of Trustees chairman and national secretary respectively, ran the affairs of the presidential campaign as a TBO’s affair in their capacities. Buhari also ran his campaign with no single serving governor, no serving senator, among others in 2011.
But things have dramatically changed now as his campaign boasts of 12 serving governors, a sitting House of Representatives Speaker, about 40 senators, 170 House of Representatives members and so on.
Unlike the last campaign, Buhari’s campaign council is now managed by experienced politicians that include Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as director general; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as vice chairman North, and former Lagos State Governor Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is vice chairman South.
The effective running of the APC by Tinubu, some say, has helped in reducing crisis that bedevilled other parties on whose platform Buhari ran.
For instance, it is believed that Tinubu’s management style has helped the APC to have less internal crisis resulting from party primaries unlike the PDP.
This is unlike in 2011 where Buhari’s fortune was overturned by myriads of crisis that rocked the defunct CPC during its primary elections, making him lose his strongholds of Kano, Katsina, Bauchi, and many other states.
National reach out
Unlike in the previous campaigns where Buhari was seen as a northern candidate, the current campaign is different as he has reached out to the Southern part of the country with impressive and unprecedented campaign rallies turn out.
Buhari this time around has expanded his followership as seen by massive turn out during campaign tours from the Northern part of the country to the Southern part.
Some say that his rallies in the South western states as well as South East and even South South have helped changed the perception that he is a northern candidate.
The presence of Tinubu and his firm control of the South West politics has deepened the support base of Buhari in the zone.
The selection of Professor Yemi Osinbajo as Buhari’s running mate has soared the APC flag bearer’s popularity in the South and flawed his opponents’ branding him as a religious bigot, according to political observers.
Analysts say that Osinbajo has converted more supporters to the presidential candidate than Pastor Tunde Bakare did in 2011, late Ume Ezeoke in 2007 and even the late Dr Chuba Okadigbo in 2003.
Information management
The emergence of APC and Alhaji Lai Muhammed as its spokesperson, many say, has given the party an edge in terms of information management.
Many an observer believe that even the ruling party’s information managers couldn’t out-do the hyperactive Lai in terms of media war.
In the same vein, the selection of Osinbajo into the APC ticket came along with his army of Lagos-based social media activists - all campaigning for Buhari.
The appointment of another successful reputation manager Malam Garba Shehu, who is Atiku’s media handler, is another boost for the Buhari campaign.
All these have tremendously improved the media outlook of Buhari, who has been having deficiencies in that area. Buhari, though, he has been running for the presidency since 2003 has no media office.
Financial muscles
Unlike the previous campaigns, finances are now not much of a problem to the Buhari campaign. This can be seen from the goodwill he gets as well the now popular ‘Buhari Recharge Cards,’ which has fetched money for the campaign.
Recurring challenges
But despite these milestones, it is observed that the Buhari campaign, like the previous ones, is still bogged down by challenges, which seem to defy solutions.
One of such challenges is that of organisation. Though the campaign is well-structured with clear cut division of labour, the reality on ground is still a far cry.
Bureaucratic bottlenecks and red-tapism have been slowing down the campaign, this reporter learned. “The campaign is just going on smoothly by the grace of God,” an insider who had participated in past campaigns told Daily Trust but added that there is a seeming disconnect between the campaign DG and his directorates who are the operational managers.
Daily Trust observed that despite the presence of Shehu as its spokesperson, the campaign’s information management is still far from better.
Presently, Buhari campaign trail moves without journalists attached to it like he did in the past. Only Daily Trust officially attached a reporter since 2003 with a cameraman.
Sometimes, the reporters board public transport to catch up with campaign trail which moves by plane. It is even more difficult as the campaign trails do two states per day.
But a source from the campaign organisation explained that the media and publicity director Shehu made efforts to secure two buses for journalists who would cover the campaign.
“But up to this time, I can tell you that no buses have been provided. That is why you don’t see your colleagues here with us. They can’t afford running helter skelter with all the risks of using public transport to cover our campaign as you are doing,” the source said.
Apart from the media, even the selection of people that follow the campaign trail is another ball game as complained by another insider, who said, “the Buhari campaign trail is filled up by people who have no role or schedule in the campaign rally itself. They are only there to maintain ‘constant visibility’ around the General,” he said.
He said there are times when some of the General’s details are dropped from the aircraft to provide space for those whose only work is maintaining ‘constant visibility’ around Buhari.
He cited the rally at Lokoja, Kogi State, where Buhari got there with only two security details. “You saw how difficult it was to take him to the podium because those security aides whose job is to protect him and control crowd were stood down in Abuja because of space,” he said.
The source added that despite the assassination attempt on the General in Kaduna last year and the current death threats, Buhari’s security is not that improved.
The APC flag bearer usually has difficulty containing mammoth crowds particularly in non-APC states. Usually, the security arrangement and crowd control mechanism are better in APC controlled states.
Another source said, in comparison to Buhari’s delegation, that of Osinbajo is better planned. His people are referred to as the “VP’s men” in the campaign.
“The vice president’s team is better organised. He moves around with his aides in his plane. Unlike our team, Osinbajo’s team comprises of people that add value to the campaign,” he said.
Daily Trust observed that the South West APC governors seemed more committed to the Buhari campaign than most of their northern counterparts.
Tinubu and Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, South West zonal coordinator, for instance, attended almost all the campaign tours in the region. Tinubu went far by attending some of the campaigns in the North.
But Tinubu’s northern counterpart on the campaign, Atiku, has been absent so far in the campaign though on health grounds. He returned to the country only last week.
Nasarawa State Governor Tanko Al-Makura, who is the North Central zonal coordinator of the campaign, attended only the rally held in his home state. He was absent in Kogi, Niger, Plateau and Benue states.
Sokoto State Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, North West zonal coordinator, only attended that of Kaduna and Kano and his home state. He was absent in Katsina, Zamfara, Jigawa and Kebbi states.
On the other hand, Senator Chris Ngige, South East coordinator, was present in all the South East states rallies.
But all these challenges are surmountable and General Buhari is not unaware of them, one of his associates on the campaign told this reporter.
“He knows almost all these things and he takes careful note of all that is happening around him. He is just buying time. He’s a very patient and tolerant gentleman. He will tackle all of them at the appropriate time,” the associate said.
Daily Trust
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