Why Buhari Keeps Trending — Even Out of Power
- Sean
- Jan 7
- 3 min read
There’s a pattern on Nigerian timelines that never quite goes away. A policy debate breaks out. Someone posts a hardship story. A government decision goes sideways. And almost instantly, one name resurfaces — Buhari.
Not as history.
Not as context alone.
But as a live argument.
This isn’t accidental. Former leaders don’t leave public discourse just because they leave office. In Nigeria especially, power lingers — in memory, in grievance, in comparison. And Buhari’s presidency sits right at the fault line of all three.
This isn’t really about him anymore. It’s about what people are trying to process through him.
Understanding why Buhari keeps trending even after leaving office helps explain how Nigerians argue about power, pain, and progress long after leaders step aside.
Former Leaders Don’t Exit the Room — They Change Seats
In many democracies, ex-presidents fade into memoirs and speaking tours. In Nigeria, they remain reference points — moral, political, emotional.
Why?
Because leadership here isn’t only judged by outcomes; it’s judged by impact on daily survival. Fuel, food, currency, security — these are not abstract policy issues. They shape how people remember power. When those pressures persist or worsen, the last leader becomes a measuring stick, not a footnote.
So Buhari trends because Nigerians are still living with decisions made during his tenure — directly or indirectly. Currency reforms, subsidy removals, security doctrines, institutional culture. Even when a new government is in charge, unresolved pain doesn’t reset.
People don’t say his name because they miss him.
They say it because the story feels unfinished.
Why Buhari Keeps Trending Even After Leaving Office
Nostalgia Isn’t About Love — It’s About Selective Memory
One reason Buhari trends is nostalgia. But Nigerian nostalgia is rarely sentimental; it’s comparative.
When someone tweets, “At least under Buhari…” what they usually mean is:
Prices felt more predictable then
Their personal hustle was working better
Life hadn’t yet collapsed for them
This kind of nostalgia isn’t praise — it’s a coping mechanism. Humans romanticize past pain when current pain feels sharper or more confusing. The brain edits out frustration and keeps familiarity.
But nostalgia online is also strategic. It’s often used to win arguments:
To discredit current leadership
To invalidate today’s complaints
To say, “You asked for this”
That’s why Buhari trends most when things are hard. He becomes a rhetorical tool, not a remembered leader.
Anger Needs an Address — and Buhari Is a Fixed One
On the other side is anger. Deep, unresolved anger.
For many Nigerians, Buhari represents:
Missed economic promises
Security failures
A leadership style that felt distant or rigid
Years that didn’t move their lives forward
When hardship continues, anger looks for a stable target. Current leaders can still deflect, explain, or blame inherited problems. Buhari can’t respond. He’s a closed chapter — which makes him a safe outlet.
You can be as harsh as you want with someone who no longer governs.
No rebuttal.
No press statement.
No policy defense.
So every time Nigerians argue about hunger, inflation, or insecurity, Buhari becomes the emotional archive where blame is stored — whether fairly or not.
Comparison Culture Keeps Old Leaders Alive
Social media thrives on before-and-after thinking.
“This government is worse.”
“No, Buhari was worse.”
“At least this one communicates.”
“At least Buhari tried.”
These comparisons keep former leaders trending because online discourse is less about solutions and more about scoring moral points. People aren’t debating policy; they’re debating who ruined things more.
And Buhari is uniquely positioned in that debate because:
His support base was ideological
His critics were relentless
His tenure coincided with social media’s peak influence
That combination means his presidency is endlessly recyclable as content.
What Nigerians Are Really Arguing About
Strip away the name, and the arguments underneath are clearer.
People are arguing about:
Whether suffering is temporary or structural
Whether leadership failure is personal or systemic
Whether Nigeria’s problems come from bad leaders or broken institutions
Whether hope is still rational
Buhari trends because he sits at the intersection of these questions. He’s close enough in time to feel relevant, distant enough to feel symbolic.
He’s not trending because Nigerians can’t move on.
He’s trending because Nigerians haven’t gotten closure.
Until the Present Makes Sense, the Past Will Stay Loud
Former leaders stop trending when the present becomes convincing. When people feel progress — even imperfect progress — the need to relitigate old governments fades.
Until then, Buhari will keep resurfacing.
Not as a man.
But as a mirror Nigerians keep holding up to ask the same unresolved question:
Is this country moving forward — or just arguing with its own memory?
Comments