Buhari led with restraint, governed with dignity — Tinubu

• Tinubu says Buhari governed with dignity and bore leadership burdens without complaint or yielding to political popularity.
• Buhari’s conduct, according to Tinubu, reflected humility in private life and discipline in public service.

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday paid glowing tribute to the late former president, Muhammadu Buhari.

He described Buhari as a man “unmoved by the temptation of power” and “unseduced by applause.”

Tinubu said Buhari was guided by moral clarity and quiet courage during his time in public service.

He spoke at a special session of the Federal Executive Council held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The session was organised in honour of the late president, who died on July 13, 2025, in London.

The president said Buhari’s death had cast a heavy shadow over the country.

“Today, we gather under a heavy shadow, drawn from the silence surrounding a departed leader,” Tinubu said.

“And from the immense weight of a life whose absence will be felt for generations.”

He said Buhari was a leader who commanded respect and held firmly to his convictions.

“We meet to honour a man whose presence once commanded this room, whose voice summoned the best in us,” he said.

“Whose convictions never bowed, even to the strongest winds of public opinion.”

Tinubu said Buhari chose to do what was right, even when it was unpopular.

He noted that Buhari’s life embodied austere honour and patriotism shown more in actions than words.

“President Buhari’s life was one of austere honour,” Tinubu said.

“He stood always ramrod—unmoved by the temptation of power, unseduced by applause, and unafraid of the loneliness that sometimes comes to those who do what is right rather than what is popular.”

“His was quiet courage—a righteousness that never announced itself. His patriotism was lived more in action than in words.”

He praised Buhari’s humility and discipline, both in public service and private life.

“He was first among soldiers in war, first among citizens in peace,” Tinubu said.

“And first, without ambition or flattery, in the hearts of his fellow citizens.”

Tinubu described Buhari as “pious without show, just without cruelty, humane without sentimentality, temperate without coldness, and sincere without guile.”

He also recalled their political alliance that brought about Nigeria’s first real democratic transfer of power.

“We stood together, he and I,” he said.

“Alongside others drawn from across the political spectrum, various regions, and different languages, we formed an alliance that enabled Nigeria to experience its first true democratic transfer of power from one ruling party to another.”

“When he was sworn in as our party’s first elected president, he led with restraint, governed with dignity, and bore the burdens of leadership without complaint.”

Tinubu said Buhari, though not perfect, was a good and honourable man.

He said, “Nigerians and the world will debate his record, as all legacies are.”

“Still, the character he brought to public life, the moral force he carried, and the incorruptible standard he represented will not be forgotten.”

“His life was dedicated to serving Nigeria and Allah.”

Buhari was buried in his Daura hometown, Katsina State, on Tuesday, according to Islamic rites.

He served as military head of state from 1984 to 1985, and later as a democratically elected president from 2015 to 2023.

He is being remembered across Nigeria and beyond for his discipline, integrity, and strong commitment to national unity.