President Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has been trending on Twitter since Saturday, under the hashtag, #tyrantbuhari.

The hashtag was obviously generated by Buhari’s bashers in the Peoples Democratic Party and the party’s army of cyber-warriors, also known as ‘the wailing wailers’ after Buhari queried the sense in a judge ordering the release of a person facing probe for stealing huge sums of money meant to buy arms to prosecute Boko Haram war.

Buhari spoke on Wednesday in his maiden media chat, during which he answered a broad range of questions on the state of nation.

But in its reaction, the PDP spokesman, Olisa Metuh declared Buhari a tyrant and after he was chided for rudeness by the APC chairman, John Odigie-Oyegu, Metuh reiterated his party’s position:

“The entire world listened to President Buhari during the chat and went away with different impressions. We did and came up with the theme of our initial reaction that portrayed him very appropriately as a tyrant. And for purpose of clarity, a tyrant is a ruler who has complete power over a country and who uses the power in a cruel and unfair way, which was why we recommended the suspension of the operation of the constitution so he can rule for the next four years as a maximum ruler”, Metuh said on Saturday.

Nigerians on Twitter have been divided ever since on whether President Buhari who was elected last year March is a tyrant.

Two tweets by parody Twitter account in the name of former Nigerian leader Olusegun Obasanjo, encapsulated the reactions of Buhari’s supporters and both were hugely popular with hundreds of retweets :

If being committed to a better Nigeria & fighting corruption head-on makes Buhari a #TyrantBuhari, then I prefer to be ruled by a tyrant.

— Olusegun A. Obasanjo (@SegunObasanjo) January 3, 2016

Tyrants of democracy are the cabals that send Jobless youths to hype #TyrantBuhari on social Media just to condemn the ruling government.

— Olusegun A. Obasanjo (@SegunObasanjo) January 3, 2016

Another suppporter of the president believes that the attack on him was a blackmail tool to wring some concessions in the N6 trillion budget awaiting passage by the National Assembly.

2016 budget is about to be passed, and the Goats have not seen any loophole to enter the Yam barn. Therefore start hashtag: #TyrantBuhari

— Bar Baric (@Bar_Baric) January 3, 2016

Philip Obin believes the accusation is baseless, if the state security apparatus had not descended on those engaged in the pillory of the president:

If you can freely trend #TyrantBuhari and nothing happens to you, then President Buhari is not a Tyrant. @ayourb @GbengaGOLD

— Philip Obin (@PhilipObin) January 3, 2016

Bashir Ahmad thinks the campaigners are wasting their time as the President enjoys the support of Nigerians.

Nigerians queuing in support of President Buhari, asking him to tyrannically recover all our looted money. So why wailing #TyrantBuhari?

— Bashir Ahmad (@BashirAhmaad) January 3, 2016

The same view is shared by Olala Seun Akioye and Dr Dipo Awojide, who said a tyrant Buhari would have arrested former President Goodluck Jonathan.

I love #TyrantBuhari. Yes, a tyrant against yam eaters who destroyed our commonwealth. We don't need someone who romances corruption

— Olola Seun Akioye (@seunakioye) January 3, 2016

If indeed Buhari was a tyrant, GEJ would have been picked up by now. He would have been cooling off at Kuje prisons. #TyrantBuhari ?

— Dr. Dipo Awojide (@OgbeniDipo) January 2, 2016

The #tyrantbuhari campaigners, however, are unrelenting in their crusade to robe the president as a tyrant.

Mr. #TyrantBuhari constituted himself into a one man Supreme Court and set aside bail duly granted by a Hich court. And statesmen unlook

— Ebube D Statesman (@akaebube) January 2, 2016

Appeal court now delivers black market judgements left right and center, simply bc they are been blackmailed & threatened by #TyrantBuhari

— The Mandate (@easyfrey) January 2, 2016

They dressed him him up as a reformed democrat during the elections. Now, he's showing us his true colours. #TyrantBuhari #TyrantBuhari

— IKECHUKWU (@iykimo) January 2, 2016

#TyrantBuhari – that's the best name for @NGRPresident. A man who can't respect The Judiciary is clearly a tyrant. God help us.|@Osekita

— Jojo Abiyere (@Heir_2D_Throne) January 2, 2016

The debate is still raging, but we end with this;

I will choose #TyrantBuhari over and over again.. at least our soldiers are now fighting Boko Haram with weapons due to a military

— Ola (@inspiratibiz) January 3, 2016