Major-General Muhammadu Buhari
7th President of Nigeria
In office December 31, 1983 – August 27, 1985
Preceded by	Shehu Shagari
Succeeded by	Ibrahim Babangida
Born	December 17, 1942 Katsina state, Nigeria
Political party	Millitary/All Nigeria People's Party
Religion	Muslim

Muhammadu Buhari (born December 17, 1942) was the military ruler of Nigeria (December 31, 1983 - August 27, 1985) and an unsuccessful candidate for president in the April 19, 2003 Presidential Elections. His ethnic background is Fulani and his faith is Islam; his family is from Katsina State. Muhammadu Buhari, former President of Nigeria File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The President of Nigeria is both head of government and head of state of Nigeria. ... December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 27 is the 239th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (240th in leap years), with 126 days remaining. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Alhaji Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari, Turakin Sakkwato (born May 25, 1925) was the President of Nigerias ill-fated Second Republic (1979 - 1983), after the handover of power by General Olusegun Obasanjos caretaker government. ... Ibrahim Babangida General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (born August 17, 1941), popularly known as IBB, was the military ruler of Nigeria from August 1985 until his departure from office under heavy popular pressure in 1993, after his annulment of elections held that year which were widely held to have been the... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Katsina is an old city of Northern Nigeria 160 miles South East of the city of Sokoto, and 84 m. ... The All Nigeria Peoples Party is a conservative political party in Nigeria. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 27 is the 239th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (240th in leap years), with 126 days remaining. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 19 is the 109th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (110th in leap years). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Fulani women in the East Province of Cameroon The Fulani is an ethnic group of people spread over many countries in West Africa, from Mauritania in the northwest to Cameroon in the east. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ... Katsina is an old city of Northern Nigeria 160 miles South East of the city of Sokoto, and 84 m. ...

Major-General Buhari and Major-General Tunde Idiagbon were selected to lead the country by middle and high-ranking military officers after a successful military coup d'etat that overthrew civilian President Shehu Shagari on December 31, 1983. Buhari was appointed Head of State and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, and Idiagbon was appointed Chief of General Staff (the defacto #2 in the administration). Buhari justified the military's seizure of power by castigating the civilian government as hopelessly corrupt, and his administration subsequently initiated a public campaign against indiscipline known as "War Against Indiscipline" (WAI). Despite authoritarian tendencies, the campaign is still lauded by many to have instilled the most orderly conduct of public and private affairs in Nigeria since its independence in 1960. Tunde Idiagbon Tunde Idiagbon (14th September 1942 to 24th March 1999 )was a Nigerian soldier and a one-time member of a military regime which ruled that country. ... A coup détat, or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ... Flag of the President of Nigeria This page contains a list of presidents and other heads of state of Nigeria since 1963. ... Alhaji Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari, Turakin Sakkwato (born May 25, 1925) was the President of Nigerias ill-fated Second Republic (1979 - 1983), after the handover of power by General Olusegun Obasanjos caretaker government. ... December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Buhari and Idiagbon's administration was initially popular with the majority of Nigerians. However, this support quickly ebbed away as the new regime resorted to ever more severe methods to stifle criticism of the government, including the promulgation of the State Security (Detention of Persons) Decree No. 2, which gave the government the right to detain indefinitely, without trial any person(s) it suspected to be a threat to the nation; and the Public Officers (Protection Against False Accusation) Decree No. 4, which essentially criminalized any unfounded allegation against government officials in the press, no matter how trivial. The irony of this is all those who overthrew Buhari's regime pushed for and passed all the draconian laws.

Buhari was himself overthrown in a coup led by General Ibrahim Babangida on August 27, 1985 and other members of the ruling Supreme Military Council (SMC) ostensibly, because he insisted on investigating allegations of fraudulent award of contracts in the Ministry of Defence (Please refer to Gen. Chris Alli's memoir - The Republic of Nigerian Army). If that investigation had been carried through, it is believed that many senior military officers would have been implicated. Buhari's insistence on this investigation was to become his fait accompli. A Palace Coup was planned and carried out by Babangida and some senior military officers who's necks were heading for the chopping block following the conclusion of the investigation. Without a doubt, this would have become Buhari and Idiagbon's most bitter and shocking lesson on how endemic and widespread corruption had become in Nigeria. Ibrahim Babangida General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (born August 17, 1941), popularly known as IBB, was the military ruler of Nigeria from August 1985 until his departure from office under heavy popular pressure in 1993, after his annulment of elections held that year which were widely held to have been the... August 27 is the 239th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (240th in leap years), with 126 days remaining. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Buhari served under the administration of late General Sani Abacha, as the head of the Petroleum trust Fund, a body created by Government and funded from deductions in the Revenue fund to pursue developmental projects around the country. His transparent and effecient handling of this agency, unlike usual practices, endeared him to Nigerians especially in the North.

In 2003, Buhari contested the Presidential election as the candidate of the All Nigeria People's Party. He was defeated by the Peoples Democratic Party nominee, President Olusẹgun Ọbasanjọ, by a margin of more than eleven million votes. It should be pointed out that in some States like, Ebonyi, there were more votes than there were actually registered voters. The All Nigeria Peoples Party is a conservative political party in Nigeria. ... Matthew Olusẹgun Aremu Ọbasanjọ (born March 5, 1937) (GCFR, Grand Commander of the Federal Republic[1]; transliterated: ) is a retired Nigerian Army General and politician. ...

Although, some allegations of fraud were conclusively proven in the Courts and the conduct of the election criticised by the same Commonwealth body that did criticise the Zimbabwean elections; the general consensus among Nigerians was that he should not waste his time in court as he did not have the necessary resources to "buy" himself justice; moreover, many Nigerians no longer had the stomach to go on street protests. Eventually, the same court also decided that the level of proven electoral fraud was not sufficient to affect the outcome of the election and to consequently, warrant the cancellation of the whole Presidential election, meaning...Mr Buhari had lost.

On 18th December 2006, Gen. Buhari was nominated as the consensus candidate of the All Nigeria People's Party. His main challenger in the April 2007 polls is expected to be the ruling PDP candidate, Umaru Musa Yar'adua, who is also from the same state - Katsina.

Apart from late JTU Aguiyi-Ironsi, Buhari remains one of the few former leaders of Nigeria who has never been suspected of corruption. In fact, after his release from detention, he had no accommodation to live in. He also had to borrow money from the bank to purchase the ANPP Presidential Nomination form, the form cost 10 Million Naira, his sole source of income is his military pension

External links

• Official Site

Heads of State of Nigeria
Nnamdi Azikiwe • Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi* • Yakubu Gowon* • Murtala Mohammed* • Olusẹgun Ọbasanjọ* • Shehu Shagari • Muhammadu Buhari* • Ibrahim Babangida* • Ernest Shonekan*† • Sani Abacha* • Abdulsalami Abubakar* • Olusẹgun Ọbasanjọ *military     †interim