The 2015 Presidential Election no doubt ranks among the most issue-determined contests in the history of elections in Nigeria. There was a clear divide between the then ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the main opposition, the All Progressives Congress (APC), on the most critical challenges confronting the country. Although President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB), the then opposition party candidate, and his party, made over two hundred distinct promises during the election, they clearly articulated three crucial challenges facing the country around security, corruption and the economy. Based on these, both candidate and party asked for the mandate of Nigerians in the widely celebrated mantra of change. Nigerians largely agreed with them and for the first time in five electoral cycles since Nigeria's return to civil rule in 1999, there was a power transfer from an incumbent President to the opposition candidate. The purpose of this report is to provide an independent and systematic assessment of PMB's first year in office. The report is divided into six parts. First, it introduces the report and rationalizes the need to assess the performance of the administration after it's first year in office. The second part outlines the methodology adopted in writing the report. The third and fourth sections analyse specific actions taken by the incumbent administration towards the achievement of the electoral promises and matters that arise from its actions. Lastly, we conclude and make constructive recommendations for how to tackle the issues that arise from the assessment.
The Buhari Meter:
Matching Campaign Promises, Public Expectations and Government Actions in Buhari's First Year
21 February 2023
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