Over the past few months, the APC have tried to paint Buhari as the candidate of change. They have tried to hide his abysmal record in office and their only hope is that voters won’t look too closely at their flagbearer.
Don’t let that happen. Share this post with 5 friends and talk to your friends and family who aren’t active online. Make sure they know who Buhari really is.
We can’t go back to the old ways! We must keep Nigeria moving forward.
10 Things Buhari and the APC don’t want you to know:
1. He overthrew democracy
Buhari claims to respect democracy, however in 1983 he overthrew the civilian government and put in place his own harsh, military regime.
2. He indiscriminately arrested and detained opponents and tortured and executed prisoners
Buhari's brutal crackdown began with Decree No. 2 of 1984, which allowed Buhari's chief of staff to arrest and detain anyone indefinitely without trial. When Buhari was overthrown in 1985, the Inspector-General of the Police opened the prison doors on national television, revealing people, many of them torture victims, in various stages of malnutrition. Buhari used retroactive laws to impose death sentences and expelled hundreds of thousands of foreigners who had migrated to Nigeria.
3. He ended press freedom and arrested journalists and artists
After seizing power, Buhari announced a decree that made the publication of “critical articles” a crime. He used the decree to jail many journalists, including Tunde Thompson and Nduka Irabo. He didn’t stop with journalists, also jailing prominent artists such as Fela Kuti.
4. He failed to fight corruption, despite brutal tactics
Buhari claims to be an anti-corruption crusader. However, as head of state he failed to curb corruption in the country. He implemented a “war against indiscipline,” which was carried to “sadistic levels, glorying in the humiliation of a people,” wrote the Nobel laureate and writer Wole Soyinka. Buhari forced civil servants, even older ones, to perform frog jumps if they were late for work, and ordered the “notoriously unruly Nigerians” to form neat queues at bus stops, under the sharp eyes of whip-wielding soldiers. Despite his brutal tactics, corruption was not curbed under his rule.
5. He destroyed Nigeria’s economy
In the name of curbing imports and fighting corruption, Buhari implemented policies that led to countless job losses and the closure of businesses. He ordered that the currency be replaced, forcing all holders of old notes to exchange them at banks within a limited period. Prices rose and living standards fell sharply.
6. Billions went missing under his watch
When Buhari served as chairman of the notoriously corrupt Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) under Olusegun Obasanjo, $2.8 billion in oil revenue went missing under his watch. When the Federal Government attempted to investigate his complicity, the principal witness who was set to release evidence to implicate Buhari died in mysterious circumstances.
7. His record was so poor that he was removed from power
After just 20 months of brutal rule, driven by a sharp fall in living standards and criticisms over human rights abuses, Buhari was removed from power in a coup led by General Ibrahim Babangida.
8. He would rather divide Nigerians by region and religion than unite them
During Buhari’s rule, he was unapologetically northern. He made no attempt to balance his government, which was the only regime in Nigeria’s history headed by two Northerners. He declared that Muslims should vote only for Muslims and became an advocate for implementation of Sharia all over Nigeria.
9. He incited violence following his failure to win the 2011 election
Buhari's inflammatory statements following his loss in the 2011 presidential elections incited widespread violence in the North. His supporters went on a rampage, looting and killing, despite an international consensus that the elections were judged the most free and fair in Nigeria's history. All told, over 800 people were killed and some 65,000 displaced during the post-election violence. Buhari later told loyalists, “If what happened in 2011 should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood”.
10. A petition has been filed against him in the International Criminal Court (ICC)
In December 2014 a petition was filed with the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, calling for the prosecution of General Muhammadu Buhari for inciting violence following the 2011 elections. The ICC has been looking into possible war crimes in Nigeria since 2010. The criminal acts alleged in that complaint include murder, torture, rape, and the burning of people. Among the allegations: On April 16, 2011, during one of Buhari’s campaign rallies he called upon supporters and loyalists “to destroy, kill and maim men, women, and children” who were opposed to his candidature.
We can’t afford to go back to the old ways under another Buhari regime. Keep Nigeria moving forward by voting for Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP on February 14!
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