[dropcap]H[/dropcap]e said they opted for Change and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last general elections.
His Oyo State counterpart, Abiola Ajimobi, noted that Nigerians faced the greatest challenge to their existence in the 15 years of misrule and maladministration of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Ajimobi spoke as the Chairman of the first distinguished lecture of the Department of Political Science and Diplomatic Studies, Bowen University, Iwo, Osun State.
Ajimobi observed that Buhari’s election was the second attempt by Nigerians to call for change.
He added that the first attempt by Nigerians was the June 12, 1993 election won by the late MKO Abiola, which was anulled.
The governor argued that for a people to collectively opt for change, the socio-political situation in such a place must have been totally intolerable.
He said the hopes of Nigerians were very high when the country transited to civilian rule in 1999 but shortly afterwards the PDP-led administration thwarted the hopes and aspiration of the people by its ineptitude.
According to him, “no sooner had the PDP led administration began governance than the trait exhibited by the potentates of the new government and the ruling party that midwifed the government could be seen as administrative ineptitude, lack of vision, unwarranted aggrandisement cum corruption.
“However, the last straw that broke the camel’s back was the inability of the PDP led government to guarantee security. All these boiled down to bad leadership.”
Aregbesola said most of the sustained attacks against his person and government in the media was because he stopped the PDP’s political machinations in the Southwest.
The governor praised the university for fulfilling its role of idea generation and dissemination, through the interaction between town and gown.
He added that Buhari won despite everything done to distract him before and during the campaigns.
The governor recounted that after the APC lost the Ekiti State governorship election last year, the PDP’s evil machinery working in full tandem with all the security agencies, was moved to Osun.
Aregbesola noted that the calculation then was that if Osun could be seized, the Southwest would have been captured by the PDP.
According to him: “After I won the governorship election, it became clear that our party had become unstoppable and President Buhari would become president.
“We thank God that despite everything, we are where we are today.”