I’ve Learnt My Lesson” — Oyegun Reveals Private Conversation With Buhari

Oyegun made the disclosure during an appearance on Arise Television on Friday, recounting a private meeting he held with Buhari about six months after the administration took office, during which he raised concerns about the direction of his leadership.

According to the former APC National Chairman, Buhari stunned him by saying he had chosen a softer approach to governance, insisting he wanted to prove to Nigerians that he was a true civilian leader.

Oyegun said he had expected a more decisive style, similar to Buhari’s earlier reputation, and felt uneasy after the conversation.

“I was national chairman of the APC. Less than six months into our time in office, I became worried and requested a one-on-one meeting with President Buhari. I told him this was not what Nigerians were expecting; they wanted a bit of the old Buhari,” he recalled.

“He then told me, ‘Mr Chairman, I have learnt my lesson.’ I was shocked. At that time, many prominent Nigerians even travelled abroad, watching to see what kind of leadership the new administration would bring.”

Oyegun said Buhari explained that he wanted to demonstrate he was a civilian president, not a military ruler.

“By the end of the discussion, I felt deeply concerned. I thought to myself, if he is not prepared to be firm, then what lies ahead?” he said.

He added that events in the years that followed confirmed his fears, describing the administration as a continuation of old practices, only with new occupants in power.

“It eventually became business as usual, just with a new set of people in Aso Rock. That was the real shock,” Oyegun concluded.