The recent demise of former president Muhammadu Buhari at a London hospital has sparked up a fresh intense debate over what his passing means for the All Progressives Congress (APC and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the platform recently unveiled to fight against the ruling APC in the 2027 general elections.

The debate Is also about which of the political parties would reap more or benefit less from his political influence, relevance and support, especially in the North.

The glowing tributes ceaselessly showered on the former President since his burial in his home town, Daura, Katsina State, bear eloquent testimony to his commanding, towering political heights, across the country and beyond, in the current fourth republic.

The tributes were obviously a confirmation of the niche he had carved over the years, climbing from the military cadre to occupy the enviable political front row in the Nigeria democratic journey, as he criss-crossed political parties in search of a presidential ticket.

The late Buhari, according to political watchers, had, in all sincerity, attained a dominant, commanding status in almost all the political parties he identified with until fortune smiled on him in APC whose ticket guaranteed him his desired president’s office.

In his eventful political journey, spanning several years, Buhari, certainly, built a larger-than-life image, especially along the length and breadth of the northern part of the country, to the point of having an intimidating cult political followership.

His influence was that overwhelming that his endorsements and subsequent raising of the hands of any candidate was as good as the person emerging victorious, especially those contesting for state and National Assemblies to governorship positions, particularly under the APC administration.

He had become so domineering that many prospective aspirants that hitherto depended and excelled through his endorsements, had already started building hope and trust around him to secure them victories in the forthcoming 2027 general elections.

But for some political watchers, the late former president was only physically a member of the ruling party. They asserted that mentally and psychologically, Buhari was already with the ADC, judging by his recent effective romance with the members of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) that constituted the dissident APC factions of the opposition coalition.

They also cited the recent resignation of his right-hand men and political allies, like the former Attorney General of the Federal and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, his Interior counterpart, Rauf Aregbesola, former Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-rufai, among many others from the APC, which they claimed further confirmed that the late president might have tactically abandoned the APC to join the Abubakar Atiku-led coalition ADC.

With speculations that the late former president might abandon APC for the ADC gaining tractions, the debate in many quota was whether Buhari’s support or working against any of the parties would have had any significant impact in determining the outcome of the results of the 2027 elections.

The debate, in clear perspective, has been that whether his death would affect the fortune or misfortune of either the ADC or the APC, especially in the northern region which has the highest voting strength, in the forthcoming 2027 poll, especially the presidential election.

For many political pundits, it is a yes and no response. According to an APC chieftain, who spoke to Saturday Sun on condition of anonymity, it was his view that whichever party Buhari decided to pitch his tent with would not have affected the fortune of the ruling party in the 2027 general elections.

He argued that If President Bola Tinubu could emerge victorious with little or no support from then President Buhari, it would be a seamless victory for him now that he is comfortably on the driving seat.

“Don’t forget that Buhari’s political clout has waned since he left office because he disappointed many people who expected so much from him in his eight years of presiding over the country.

“You can notice that he had lived a very reclusive life since leaving office, with many hardly hearing so much about him, as he shuttled between Kaduna and Katsina, and hardly making any public appearances or engaging in political activities.

“Yes, many would have definitely used his name to de-campaign APC in the northern region, especially with his political allies dumping the ruling party, but the reality is that his political influence had drastically reduced in the recent times.

“The open celebration of his death in some parts of the North, if you ask me, went further to confirm that he did not have that charm and clout that characterised his towering political personality over the years.

“It is true that his political influence might have still helped certain aspirants and candidates contesting for one position or the other in the northern region, but he would not have influenced the outcome of the 2027 presidential election in the northern region. Like I said earlier, his unimpressive performance in the office for eight years really whittled down his hitherto political influence and power,” the source argued.

For a chieftain of ADC, the death of Buhari has rather made the northern region a neutral ground for both the APC and the coalition opposition party.

He argued that without any politician in the north with that towering political clout in the mode of late Buhari, the northern region will be a neutral fertile ground for the political parties to harvest votes in the 2027 presidential election.

“I want to think that the competition to outshine each other that Nigerians saw during the burial of former president Buhari could be part of the politics to curry the sympathy and favour of the northern region because of the 2027 election.

“Almost all the members of the coalition ADC struggled for recognition just as the APC had intimidating influence in taking charge of the burial activities. It remains to be seen how Buhari’s death will shape the outcome of the 2027 general elections in favour or against the APC or the ADC,” the chieftain told Saturday Sun in confidence.

However reacting to the possibility of Buhari’s death affecting the political future of the APC, its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, argued that the lieutenants, political allies and beneficiaries of Buhari’s legacies will deliver the ruling party during the 2027 general election.

Asked how Buhari’s death will affect APC’s fortune in 2027, Morka said: “As you know, Buhari was elected president under our party. He was the leader of our party, a military Head of State, a patriot and soldier who gave his best for the country.

“I will admit that his passing has obviously created a deep vacuum very difficult to fill, but the ruling party has been enriched by his legacies which will enable us to continue and carry on in that tradition of service to our people.

“So, yes, he may be gone but we celebrate his legacy, his memory remains inspired by all the goods he has done for this country.

“As for the effect of his death on APC’s electoral fortune, we are very confident that the people he led, those citizens that believed in him until his passing will continue to profess his allegiance to our party as he was allegiance to the party.

“We believe that those who love him will remain with his vision and legacy which rests with our party. We will continue to depend on them to deliver our party,” he noted.

Asked about Buhari’s political allies joining the ADC, Morka said: “it is not true that most of his political allies joined the ADC. Yes a few of them may have joined the ADC but that is their decision.

“The vast majority of those that loved the former president and that were enriched by his goodwill, will continue to stand for the APC,” he noted. (Sunday Sun)