Abdulfatai Buhari faces backlash as critics question his identity after declaring interest in the 2027 Oyo governorship race
Senator Abdulfatai Omotayo Buhari, the three term lawmaker representing Oyo North Senatorial District, has faced a sharp backlash in Ibadan after announcing his intention to contest the 2027 Oyo State governorship election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.
Critics immediately challenged his identity, triggering a fierce debate across the state and social media.
Senator Buhari, who was born and raised in Ogbomoso, declared that he was relying on merit rather than ethnic profiling.
He told APC stakeholders that he was not desperate and that he had entrusted the future to God, stressing that he would not seek a fourth Senate term.
He urged the electorate to judge candidates by capacity, experience and performance instead of zoning or ancestry.
Supporters insist that Abdulfatai Buhari is a genuine son of the soil with a long record of public service in Oyo State.
They highlight his years as Special Adviser to the Governor, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, three term member of the House of Representatives and his present role as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation.
They cite his development initiatives in Oyo North as solid proof of his commitment to the state.
The senator’s surname, however, has fuelled strong opposition.
Several posts trending online argue that no indigenous Yoruba bears the name Buhari and allege that he is of Fulani origin.
Some critics claim that his family roots lie in Gombe State and present his ambition as an attempt by northern interests to extend political control into the Southwest.
These claims have tapped into deeper anxieties within Yoruba land about demographic changes, farmer and herder clashes and fears of external dominance.
Viral messages describe his candidacy as a dangerous precedent and warn against allowing a perceived outsider to govern Oyo State.
Defenders have pushed back forcefully, describing the attacks as tribal prejudice.
They argue that his Yoruba middle name Omotayo, his birth and upbringing in Ogbomoso and decades of political service in Oyo State make him unmistakably Yoruba by culture.
They also note that Buhari or Bukhari is an Arabic name common among Muslims across many ethnic groups, which undermines the purity argument.
The debate is unfolding alongside unresolved zoning tensions.
With Governor Seyi Makinde approaching the end of his second term, several political groups in Ibadan and Oyo zones argue that the next governor should come from their areas.
Abdulfatai Buhari, from Oyo North, maintains that zoning must not supersede competence and promises balanced development across the five geopolitical zones of the state.
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As the 2027 race opens, the storm surrounding Abdulfatai Buhari has once again revealed the formidable power of identity politics in Nigeria.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
