On the 25th of February, 2023, Distinguished Senator Buhari Omotayo Abdulfatai stood for an election that would cement his legacy as a veteran politician, undisputable grassroot mobilizer and lawmaker extraordinaire.
That election, his 5th in the 4th Republic placed him on the rare pedestal of exclusive Nigerians on the roll call of legislators in the hollow chamber of the National Assembly to have won election in four different electoral cycles.
To an extent, that last contest, tough as it was, also shed light on the quiet power of his politics, deep connection to his constituency, and the gradual but incremental trust he has built over time with the people in the face of ruthless opponents willing to throw caution to the wind, stretch campaign rhetoric to its limit and fight like hell just to win at the poll.
Four years earlier in 2019, Senator Buhari had stood on the precipice of history, wresting to outwit the second term jinx that has come to define the politics of Oyo North Senatorial district since the dawn of the new republic. In the space between 1999 and 2015, for example, no single senator, regardless of his performance or scorecard in office had won the votes of the people to return to the Red Chamber of the National Assembly for a second term.
Consider the likes of Senators Buraimoh Yemi Yusuf, Robert Koleoso, Andrew Gbenga Babalola and Hosea Ayoola Agboola who had tried to leverage their power to return to the senate to no avail. So, when the 2019 election loomed, tension rose in Senator Buhari’s camp with many wondering whether the Ogbomoso born politician would succeed where others have failed. But as the election results trickled in that year, it became evident that history was about to be made and the longstanding jinx about to be shattered.
By contrast, the 2023 election was different all together. From the outset, the scale and intensity of campaign of calumny, mudslinging, vilification and media trial that were directed at Senator Fatai Buhari would have jolted many politicians to buckle. Not BAF. He stood his ground, stuck to his guns, refined his strategy, and trust the electorates to hire their next senator in a free, fair and transparent election.
As the day paved the way for the night and election results began to drop from one unit to another, one ward to another and one local government to another across the 13 local government areas, the name Buhari peremptorily rented the air and his supporters swiftly and joyfully took to the streets to celebrate their hard-won victory – one that will take years to match and surpass.
Of course, for the first time in the history of Oyo State, Senator Fatai Buhari’s emergence in the 2023 elections placed him at a vantage position of becoming the first in the state to win Senatorial election three times in a row. In fact, what many had considered an impossible task turned out to be the launch pad for the senator’s latest gubernatorial aspiration.
Out of many politicians, Senator Buhari stands as a man of his words; consistently and confidently handling the rigors of his assignment with unimaginable ease. For one thing, Senator BAF has distinguished himself as a broadly strategic politician who says what he means and mean what he says – regardless of whose ox is gored. Unlike other politicians who only showed up when election beckons, Senator Buhari’s consistent presence and constant connection with his constituency whether during or after election has made him a cynosure of all eyes. Instead of wrestling with political pigs in the last election for instance, Senator Buhari choose the path of dignity, honor and respect and in return got rewarded for staying true to his values and for sticking with his vision. His time has been marked by various epochal moments and developmental strides.
Whereas other politicians, once in power, often consider themselves bigger and superior to the party under whose platform they clinched power. Not Senator Buhari. He is a core party man whose loyalty to the supremacy and superiority of the party and those saddled with the party’s affairs remain unmatched. In a way, he believes in the sacredness of the party not just as a vehicle for actualization of personal aspirations but as critical to the survival of democracy.
Impressively, Senator Buhari’s winning streak is not just the reflections of his outstanding performance in office but an outcome of a united party working round the clock to ensure his victory at every poll. In a chaotic political environment where elected officials believe in the subjugation of the party for their whims and caprices, Senator Buhari’s approach at recognizing the crucial role of political party in democratic dispensation underscore his democratic credentials. He is by far one of the fewest Nigerian politicians who believes a political party can run successfully with minimal intervention and interference from elected officials.
Last year, to the chagrin of his traducers, the distinguished Senator dropped a bombshell: in 2027, he would seek a higher office. But that wasn’t the crux of the bombshell. He added with unmistakable assurance that he would no longer throw his hat into the ring of his senatorial district. “Someone better should take the baton and represent the good people of this senatorial district”, he enthused in that radio interview.
For a man whose words can be banked on, that assurance marked the end of an extraordinary era and the revelation of a leader who understand the essence of bowing out when the ovation is loudest. As the Senator set his tactical eyes on the securing the gubernatorial ticket of his party, the All-Progressives Congress, there is no doubt that his extensive years in both private sector and public service will place him at the echelon of serious contenders vying to take over from Governor Seyi Makinde in 2027. Not surprisingly, he asked both his party and the wider electorates to judge his aspiration based on his track record of performance, and his ability to deliver at the poll irrespective of the formidability of his opponents. Of course, out of many, he is definitely one with the rare leadership ability to serve in the utmost interest and deliver democratic dividends in a way never seen before.
