“I Wanted to Abuse Buhari After He Died, But My Wife Stopped Me” – Fayose

Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has revealed that he intended to publicly abuse the late President Muhammadu Buhari after his death but was stopped by his wife. Fayose made the remark during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, while commenting on Nigeria’s political culture and the legacy of the former president.

President Buhari passed away in July 2025 at a private clinic in London and was buried in his hometown of Daura, Katsina State. “The people in Nigeria only praise the dead. When President Buhari died, I wanted to come out and abuse him, but my wife called me not to say so,” Fayose said.

He argued that despite the tributes, Buhari’s eight-year tenure  v short of expectations. “Would you say Buhari performed? I’m not among those praising the dead. Don’t honour me when I die. When I die, I’m gone,” he added.

Fayose criticized the tendency to shift blame for national challenges onto President Bola Tinubu, insisting that Buhari’s administration left the country in disarray. He also drew a contrast between Buhari and Tinubu, saying the current president is more approachable. “He \[Tinubu] is accessible. Was the former president accessible? A lot of things were happening in those days but do you still find them in the system? He is not a perfect man but we are not where we were,” Fayose stated.