Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has said that former President Muhammadu Buhari was surrounded by sycophants who praised him excessively while he was in office but turned against him after he left power.
Sule made the remark on Saturday at the 2nd Raymond Dokpesi Diamond Lecture organised by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) in Abuja.
The governor said his experience in public office had exposed him to the damaging effects of sycophancy in Nigerian politics, recounting how he personally witnessed politicians shower Buhari with exaggerated praise during his presidency, only to disown him afterward.
“By being a governor, I have seen what sycophancy can do. I have seen people actually sit in the presence of President (Muhammadu) Buhari to tell him, ‘Oh, you are the best ever. Nobody can do this better.’
“But the minute Buhari left government, they started saying, ‘Oh, he was one of the worst presidents we have ever seen.’
“These are the same people but different moments. That is what sycophancy is all about,” Sule said.
Governor Sule also used the occasion to pay tribute to the late media mogul, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, describing him as a visionary who challenged the status quo by establishing Nigeria’s first private radio and television stations during the military era.
According to him, Dokpesi’s legacy stands as a symbol of courage and innovation in the nation’s media landscape.
“We are here to celebrate an icon of the media. Dokpesi was not afraid to speak truth to power, even during difficult times,” he added.