"My Daughter Called President Tinubu from My Phone – And He Answered Thinking It Was Me" – Buba Galadima

"My Daughter Called President Tinubu from My Phone – And He Answered Thinking It Was Me" – Buba Galadima

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu 

Engr. BUBA Galadima 

By Adeboye Prince Adetu
Igbenews, April 10, 2025

In a political landscape filled with larger-than-life figures, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT) remains an enigma—a man whose phone rings for the mighty and the grassroots alike. Buba Galadima, a chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), recently shared a telling anecdote: "My daughter used my phone to call President Tinubu, and the President picked the call thinking it was me." He was responding to a question on an interview he had on AIT television. 

Buba Galadima even alleged that his daughter worked in the office of the vice President Osinbajo for four years and was not paid a kobo all because he was in opposition to Buhari.  This isn’t just a charming story—it’s a window into Tinubu’s accessibility. Even ward chairmen from Lagos State attest that PBAT still answers their calls, a testament to the personal touch that has kept him ahead of Nigeria’s political pack for decades.

Tinubu’s rise to the presidency in 2023 was no accident. It was the product of a master strategist whose unassuming demeanor belies a razor-sharp mind. As Babatunde Raji Fashola, former Lagos Governor and Tinubu protégé, once noted, "Tinubu’s look deceives people who think he could be manipulated." Those who underestimate him do so at their peril. His victory in the APC primaries ahead of the 2023 election is proof of this. Locked down by the policies of then-President Muhammadu Buhari and the Central Bank of Nigeria’s cash scarcity crisis—designed to cripple political campaigns—Tinubu defied the odds. With no cash to splash, he leaned on his vast reach, mobilizing a network that stretched from Lagos to the hinterlands. He didn’t just win the primaries; he went on to triumph in the general election, even capturing anti-APC strongholds like Rivers State, thanks to the strategic input of Nyesom Wike.

This is the Tinubu magic—turning adversity into opportunity. His influence isn’t new; it’s decades in the making. He helped install Goodluck Jonathan as president in 2011, brokering the alliances that kept the PDP in power. He promised and delivered Buhari in 2015, architecting the APC’s historic victory. And when his own time came, he boldly declared "Emi lo kan" ("It’s my turn")—and it came to be. From Musiliu Obanikoro to Gboyega Oyetola, Akinwunmi Ambode to Nasir El-Rufai, Tinubu’s allies and former foes alike keep returning to his fold, drawn by the good he’s done and the doors he opens.

Obanikoro, once a PDP stalwart, rejoined Tinubu’s APC, acknowledging the mentorship that shaped his career. Babatunde Pedro’s political roots trace back to Tinubu’s Lagos machine. Even Ambode, after a public fallout in 2019, remains a quiet beneficiary of Tinubu’s legacy, with reconciliation rumors swirling. El-Rufai, a key 2023 ally, may critique Tinubu’s reforms, but his own rise in Kaduna owed much to Tinubu’s support. These men—and countless others—know the value of Tinubu’s generosity and strategic brilliance.

As Governor of Lagos (1999–2007), Tinubu turned the state into an economic juggernaut, mentoring a generation of leaders who now dominate Nigeria’s political and business arenas. His politics blend pragmatism with loyalty, ensuring that even those who stray remember his worth. The ward chairmen who still reach him by phone aren’t just beneficiaries—they’re foot soldiers in a network that endures.

Today, Tinubu stands as Nigeria’s greatest politician. He outmaneuvered Buhari’s cashless trap, turned Rivers State into an APC win, and proved that his reach transcends party lines. He’s not just a kingmaker—he’s the king. "Emi lo kan" wasn’t a boast; it was a prophecy fulfilled by a man who answers calls, builds empires, and plays chess while others play checkers. As Nigeria faces its challenges under his leadership, one truth remains: Tinubu’s rivals may rise, but they’ll always find themselves looking back to him.

Adeboye Prince Adetu is a political analyst and commentator for Igbenews