Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has claimed that former President Muhammadu Buhari was manipulated by the political elite for their own gain, as reported by DAILY SUN.
Dalung made the statement during a podcast interview, which has since brought discussions on social media.
Dalung, who served in Buhari’s administration from 2015 to 2019, stated that Buhari’s popularity played a key role in defeating former President Goodluck Jonathan during the 2015 elections, however, after Buhari assumed office, the political elite allegedly sidelined him and took control of the government.
The former minister described Buhari as being disconnected from his administration and stated that the promises made during the campaign were not fulfilled, leaving many Nigerians disappointed.
Dalung criticized the government’s handling of insecurity, pointing out that by 2020, it was unsafe to travel between major cities like Abuja and Kaduna, an issue that had worsened compared to when Buhari took office.
These statements contribute to ongoing debates about Buhari’s legacy after his departure from office in May 2023, many believe his leadership failed to address critical challenges like corruption and insecurity.
Dalung suggested that Buhari’s administration was controlled by influential figures, which prevented the former president from effectively governing and delivering on campaign promises.
According to Dalung: “Buhari was used and dumped, his charisma was needed at that point in time by the political elites to eliminate Jonathan.”
“And shortly after Buhari had taken over power, these sets of political elites emerged and hijacked the government and Buhari was a stranger.
“I can say this at any point in time that Buhari was a stranger in his own government and I can collaborate this.”
“I went to see the president when I was out of office in 2020 and I told him ‘Mr president this wasn’t what we told Nigerians, we campaigned and convinced Nigerians and when I look at the type of investment the common people put in our government and here we are today with insecurity.”…S.ee-More