Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore has dismissed the widespread perception that the late former President Muhammadu Buhari was a man of integrity, describing it as “one of the most dangerous propaganda projects ever sold to the people.”
Speaking in an interview with Sunday PUNCH on Buhari’s legacy, Sowore said the image of Buhari as a disciplined and incorruptible leader was a “myth” strategically manufactured to pave his return to power in 2015.
“Absolutely not,” he said when asked if he believed Buhari left behind a legacy of integrity. “The myth of Buhari’s integrity was one of the most dangerous propaganda projects ever sold to the people. For decades, a carefully curated image of a disciplined, incorruptible soldier-statesman was peddled, essentially to justify his return to power in 2015. But the reality, as Nigerians experienced it, was entirely different. Buhari didn’t just fail the integrity test; he also shattered it.”
Sowore accused Buhari of turning a blind eye to corruption within his administration.
“Under his watch, corruption was not only tolerated but institutionalised. Individuals under investigation or with established records of theft and abuse of office found refuge within his cabinet,” he said.
“His government protected some of the most corrupt figures in Nigerian history.”
According to Sowore, the much-touted anti-corruption fight under Buhari was nothing more than a smokescreen.
“There was no war. There was no battle, just propaganda. Buhari’s so-called anti-corruption campaign was selective, vindictive, and deeply hypocritical. His friends and cronies were protected. His political enemies were hunted.”
“That’s not a fight against corruption; it was a weaponisation of anti-graft rhetoric,” he added.
He added that Buhari’s administration left behind weakened institutions, saying, “Even the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission lost credibility under him.”
He said, “Major scandals like the Maina pension case, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company contracts, and his Attorney General, Abubakar Malami, were openly and brazenly accused of corruption.
“The Central Bank of Nigeria’s opaque operations under Godwin Emefiele were swept under the rug until Buhari left office. He enabled corruption on a scale so vast that it will take generations to fully trace.”
“So no, he didn’t fight corruption. He fertilised it,” he added.
Sowore concluded by saying that the late president's record was “enough indictment,” warning that Nigeria must resist any attempt to rewrite history in favour of failed leaders.
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