Compare Atiku Abubakar vs Buhari Muhammadu

Head-to-head career stats, election results, and policy positions, side by side.

Atiku AbubakarADC

Buhari MuhammaduAPC

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Born25 November 1946 (age 79)17 December 1942 (age 83)

StateAdamawa →—

ReligionIslamIslam

EthnicityFulbeFulani

EducationAhmadu Bello UniversityUnited States Army War College, Defence Services Staff College, Mons Officer Cadet School

OccupationCustoms officerMilitary personnel

QualificationGCE MASTERS—

BirthplaceJadaDaura

Elections22

Wins02

Losses20

Parties11

Career total votes18.2M30.6M

Head-to-Head

2019 Presidential Elections

PDP11,262,978 votes (41.22%)

View candidacy →

APC15,191,847 votes (55.6%) ✓ WON

View candidacy →

Policy Comparison

Promises and documented actions in office, topic by topic - from public, attributable sources.

Governance & Reform

Atiku Abubakar

Promised - African Democratic Congress (ADC) manifesto

ADC will make electoral malpractices such as rigging, vote buying, and monetary inducements illegal with severe penalties.

Source ↗

On the record

Actively oversaw the National Council on Privatization during his tenure as VP, overseeing the privatization of hundreds of loss-making public enterprises.

Vice President of Nigeria (1999–2007) · Verified 2026-09-17 · Source ↗

Buhari Muhammadu

Promised

No matching promise in the records we hold.

On the record

Divided the North-Eastern State into three new states: Bauchi, Borno, and Gongola (February 1976).

Governor of Borno State (3 Feb 1976 – 15 Mar 1976) · Verified 2026-10-02 · Source ↗

Created Borno State as a new federal entity after its separation from the North-Eastern State.

Federal government (post-division, 1976) · Verified 2026-10-02 · Source ↗

Passed Decree Number 4, the Protection Against False Accusations Decree, a repressive press law.

Head of State (Supreme Military Council), 1983–1985 · Verified 2026-10-02 · Source ↗

Moved the National Home Grown School Feeding Program (NHGSF) from the office of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to the new Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development under Sadiya Umar Farouq.

Ministry-level reform in Nigeria (2018–2019) · Verified 2026-10-02 · Source ↗

Education

Atiku Abubakar

Promised

No matching promise in the records we hold.

On the record

Founded American University of Nigeria (AUN) in Yola, Adamawa State, offering an American-style higher education curriculum emphasizing critical thinking and problem-solving.

Founder of AUN, 2005–present · Verified 2026-09-17 · Source ↗

Issued scholarships to 15 Chibok schoolgirls abductees (post-2014) as part of efforts to address educational neglect in the Northeast.

Private educational support after the 2014 Chibok kidnapping · Verified 2026-09-17 · Source ↗

Buhari Muhammadu

Promised

No matching promise in the records we hold.

On the record

No documented action on this topic in our records yet.

Anti-corruption

Atiku Abubakar

Promised

No matching promise in the records we hold.

On the record

No documented action on this topic in our records yet.

Buhari Muhammadu

Promised

No matching promise in the records we hold.

On the record

Jailed ~500 politicians, officials, and businessmen for corruption during his tenure as Head of State.

Head of State (Supreme Military Council), 1983–1985 · Verified 2026-10-02 · Source ↗

Investigated and exposed the $2 billion arms deal from the Goodluck Jonathan administration’s procurement under Boko Haram insurgency funding.

Federal Government of Nigeria, 2016–ongoing (investigative committee actions) · Verified 2026-10-02 · Source ↗

Economy & Trade

Atiku Abubakar

Promised

No matching promise in the records we hold.

On the record

No documented action on this topic in our records yet.

Buhari Muhammadu

Promised

No matching promise in the records we hold.

On the record

Announced the 1984 National Budget, including measures like a temporary ban on federal public-sector recruitment, interest rate hikes, capital project halts, state borrowing prohibitions, and a 15% reduction in Shagari’s 1983 budget.

Head of State (Supreme Military Council), 1984 · Verified 2026-10-02 · Source ↗

Implemented import substitution industrialization with priority for local raw materials and spare parts, reducing reliance on imports.

Head of State (Supreme Military Council), 1983–1985 · Verified 2026-10-02 · Source ↗

Energy

Atiku Abubakar

Promised

No matching promise in the records we hold.

On the record

No documented action on this topic in our records yet.

Buhari Muhammadu

Promised

No matching promise in the records we hold.

On the record

Built 21 petroleum storage depots across Nigeria (Lagos to Maiduguri, Calabar to Gusau) and constructed a pipeline network connecting Bonny terminal, Port Harcourt refinery, and proposed Kaduna refinery projects.

Federal Commissioner for Petroleum and Natural Resources (1978–1979) · Verified 2026-10-02 · Source ↗

Enterprise grant support

Atiku Abubakar

Promised

No matching promise in the records we hold.

On the record

No documented action on this topic in our records yet.

Buhari Muhammadu

Promised

No matching promise in the records we hold.

On the record

Established the N-Power program as part of the National Social Investment Program to provide job training and monthly stipends to unemployed Nigerian youth.

Federal Government of Nigeria, 2016 · Verified 2026-10-02 · Source ↗

Reliefs and scholarships

Atiku Abubakar

Promised

No matching promise in the records we hold.

On the record

No documented action on this topic in our records yet.

Buhari Muhammadu

Promised

No matching promise in the records we hold.

On the record

Launched the National Social Investment Program with four key initiatives: N-Power, Conditional Cash Transfer Program (CCTP), Government Enterprise and Empowerment Program (GEEP) including TraderMoni, MarketMoni, FarmerMoni, and NHGSF.

Federal Government of Nigeria, 2016–ongoing · Verified 2026-10-02 · Source ↗

Security & Defense

Atiku Abubakar

Promised

No matching promise in the records we hold.

On the record

No documented action on this topic in our records yet.

Buhari Muhammadu

Promised

No matching promise in the records we hold.

On the record

Led the Nigerian military during the Chadian-Nigerian War (1983–1987) as part of a joint operation against Chad.

Military junta (1983–1985) · Verified 2026-10-02 · Source ↗

Led military forces in chasing Chadian invaders from Borno State in 1983, resulting in over 100 victims and prisoners of war.

General Officer Commanding (3rd Armoured Division), 1981–1983; Head of State (Supreme Military Council), 1983–1985 · Verified 2026-10-02 · Source ↗

Established the National Security Organization (NSO) with expanded powers to suppress public dissent.

Head of State (Supreme Military Council), 1983–1985 · Verified 2026-10-02 · Source ↗

Arrested Fela Kuti for allegedly illegally exporting foreign currency, sentenced him to five years in prison.

Head of State (Supreme Military Council), 1983–1985 · Verified 2026-10-02 · Source ↗

Issued Decree 20 on illegal ship bunkering and drug trafficking, targeting organized crime with punitive measures.

Head of State (Supreme Military Council), 1983–1985 · Verified 2026-10-02 · Source ↗

Declared a border closure with Benin, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon in April 1984 to expel illegal migrants and foreign workers (reopened in 1985).

Head of State (Supreme Military Council), 1983–1984 (closure); 1985 (reopening) · Verified 2026-10-02 · Source ↗

Deployed the Nigerian Police Force and Army nationwide to counter anti-government protests after the October 2020 EndSARS demonstrations, citing law-and-order concerns.

Presidential Administration (June 2021) · Verified 2026-10-02 · Source ↗

Launched the Presidential Task Force for COVID-19 control, including a two-week lockdown in major cities (Abuja, Lagos, Ogun) on 30 March 2020.

Presidential Administration (March 2020) · Verified 2026-10-02 · Source ↗

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