Former ruler Buhari to run for Nigeria's CPC
A Nigerian opposition party Congress for Progressive Change on Tuesday chose former military ruler General Muhammadu Buhari as its candidate for the presidential election in April.
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Buhari ruled Nigeria from January 1984 to August 1985, when he was toppled in a miliatry coup. He is one of Nigeria's most popular politicians and is perceived as being more democratic than most of Nigeria's leaading politicians, according to John Campbell, a former US ambassador to Nigeria.
"He has a great deal of popularity on the street," says Campbell. "Ordinary Nigerians tend to regard him as being extremely disciplined and absolutely uncorrupt."
As well as fighting against corruption during his time in office, he eliminated multi-story rubbish piles in Lagos by establishing Sanitation Saturdays, when rubbish is collected.
John Campbell, Council for Foreign Relations
"If he were to win, it would be a pretty good indication that the elections were indeed free, fair and credible," says Campbell. "There would be a strong emphasis on attacking corruption and that would be quite popular."
In the south, which is mainly Christian, Buhari is less popular because he is a practising Muslim. The Nigerian constitution requires winning candidates to secure a minimum number of votes in all parts of the country.
"The question is whether he could get sufficient support in the southern and predominantly Christian parts of the country," says Campbell.
Buhari's government was also accused of human rights abuses. In the most famous case, Nigerian agents in the UK arrrested a Nigerian man who was wanted for corruption. They then tried to ship him back to Nigeria in a crate.
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