The Mistakes and Failures of The Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari exposed

Muhammadu Buhari in an interview 

The president said he would pay more attention to regions that voted for him than to those that did not, immortalizing that revealing statement of vindictiveness with the now infamous 97% and 5% gaffe. You denied it at first. Then the tape was released. You went to plan B, alternately defending him with silly reinterpretations and asking that we give him the benefit of the doubt as a senior citizen prone to age-related errors.

Then the appointments came and we saw a clear pattern corresponding roughly to to his 97-5% philosophy, with an unmistakable imprimatur of northernization. You offered more specious defense and asked for patience to enable the president balance out his appointments but subsequent appointments vindicated the accusations of pro-north provincialism.

Then the president sent Nigerian Muslims a Sallah message in Hausa on the BBC. It was yet another evidence of Buhari's well known pro-north myopia. You rose to his defense with inane, ridiculous contentions.

Now, we have the head of an international development partner saying in clear terms that the president directed them to shift their focus to the north and the same defense artists and merchants of obfuscation have launched a blitz. This time, in spite of the release of the interview transcript, they are saying the president was misquoted.

By the way, in all the aforementioned instances, the president's impulsive defenders similarly claimed, contrary to the evidence, that Buhari had been misrepresented.

The questions to pose are: why are the "misrepresentions" consistent with the president's previously expressed sentiments and his actions? And why does every consequential statement attributed to the president require the interpretive and rehabilitative intervention of his aides and supporters? Is the man incapable of clear speech?

I've given this president several benefits of the doubt. He no longer deserves one. It's time for him to be accountable for his words and actions.

Professor Moses Ochonu