Political commentator and activist Mahdi Shehu has delivered a scathing critique of recent and ongoing efforts to memorialise late former President Muhammadu Buhari through books and public ceremonies, arguing that no volume of literary praise can alter what he described as Nigerians’ enduring memories of the administration.
In a statement published on his verified X account on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, Shehu contended that the growing body of books and tributes portraying Buhari in heroic terms represents a futile attempt to rewrite history.
According to him, such narratives fail to address what millions of Nigerians experienced during Buhari’s years in power and, therefore, cannot soften public judgment.
Shehu maintained that public sentiment about the former president is already firmly established.
He argued that while authors, sponsors, and book launchers may ascribe admirable qualities to Buhari, Nigerians who lived through his presidency retain what he called “permanent and indelible impressions” shaped by governance outcomes rather than rhetoric.
Describing Buhari’s leadership in harsh terms, Shehu accused the late president of lacking the competence and managerial capacity required to govern effectively.
He portrayed Buhari as a leader who sought power despite knowing his limitations and later failed, in his view, to deploy authority to improve citizens’ welfare or strengthen national institutions.
Furthermore, Shehu criticised Buhari’s leadership style, alleging that he delegated power without effective oversight and failed to enforce accountability among appointees.
He claimed this, in turn, allowed misconduct to flourish within government, while the president allegedly remained a passive observer as the economy, polity, and social cohesion deteriorated.
In his commentary, Shehu also took aim at what he described as a thriving industry of books written about Buhari, both during his lifetime and after his death.
He alleged that such publications primarily benefited their authors and promoters financially, rather than contributing an honest assessment of the former president’s legacy.
“They rushed to write books when he was alive, and they are still writing after his death,” Shehu wrote, suggesting the motivation was commercial rather than historical.
He listed several titles written on Buhari, including Muhammadu Buhari: The Nigerian Legacy (2015–2023) by Udu Yakubu and multiple contributors, Working With Buhari: Reflections by Femi Adesina, Buhari: The Making of a President by Jimi Adebisi Lawal, and Muhammadu Buhari: The Challenges of Leadership in Nigeria by John N. Paden, among others.
According to Shehu, these works share what he termed “flawed delivery techniques” and language that flatter the former president while ignoring governance failures.
Shehu argued that book launches and public presentations celebrating Buhari amount to endorsing what he described as systemic failure, institutionalised fraud, nepotism, and breaches of public trust.
He was particularly critical of Buhari’s handling of electoral integrity, alleging that the administration presided over a loss of confidence in the electoral process through the actions of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
He concluded by asserting that those who attend or support such book launches are aware, privately, that the former president’s record does not merit celebration.
In his words, the attempt to canonise Buhari through literature, no matter how eloquent, cannot erase what he characterised as widespread disappointment and lasting damage.