Why Tinubu-Buhari Merger Talks Failed In 2011 – Lai Mohammed

Former Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, has said that after the defeat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2011, it became clear to its members that President Bola Tinubu and his late predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, needed one another.

Naija News reports that Lai Mohammed made the remark while speaking on the reasons alliance talks between Tinubu and Buhari failed in 2011.

In an interview with political content creator, Edmund Obilo, Mohammed said Tinubu and Buhari did not agree on who should be the running mate.

According to Lai Mohammed, late Buhari had already chosen Pastor Tunde Bakare as his running mate, which caused disagreement between them.

He said, “Now we in ACN argued powerfully that, look, we control six states. You, CPC, control only one state. We are even ready to submit ourselves to your platform and contest under the CPC.

“Use your colours and everything, and we’re asking of you for only one thing, and you are not giving us? Our people will accuse us that we have sold them out.

“On that point, we went out separate ways, and of course, we both lost woefully again in 2011. By 2012, it became crystal clear to both Tinubu and Buhari that they needed one anothr.”

Recall that the APC was formed through the coalition of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), led by President Tinubu and his team; the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP); and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), led by Buhari and his supporters.