Marwa Explains Why He Ensured a Free, Fair Lagos Election That Tinubu Won

Chairman and Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), has revealed why he insisted on conducting a transparent governorship election in Lagos State during his time as the military administrator—an election that produced Senator Bola Tinubu as governor.

Speaking in Abuja on Saturday at the public presentation of “Buni Boy”, a book written by the late legal icon Niyi Ayoola-Daniels, Marwa said Lagos residents showed him exceptional support even though they were at odds with the federal government at the time. This goodwill, he noted, strengthened his resolve to oversee a credible election.

According to him, while then Head of State Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar did not interfere, the military hierarchy pressured him to stop Tinubu from winning due to his activism with NADECO.

His words:
“After seeing the then Senator Bola Tinubu’s strong campaign and popularity, the military hierarchy instructed me to prevent him from emerging governor because of his pro-democracy activism in NADECO against the military government then. But I chose to conduct a free and fair election that produced the most popular candidate as governor of Lagos State. The rest today is history.”

Marwa emphasised that although Nigeria faces challenges rooted in mismanagement of its diversity, such issues should inspire unity—not division. He urged Nigerians to view diversity as an asset rather than a burden.

He also praised the late author’s widow, Mrs. Leticia Ayoola-Daniels, for preserving her husband’s legacy, saying the real-life story in the book deeply resonated with him due to his personal connection to Buni Yadi and the judge whose principles shaped the narrative.

Reflecting on his own life experiences, Marwa described Nigeria’s diversity as a gift that shaped him from childhood through his decades-long military career. He recounted schooling across several regions, serving with officers from different backgrounds, and forming lifelong bonds that transcended ethnicity.

“The Nigeria of my youth understood its own diversity,” he said, recalling his time at the Nigeria Military School, Zaria, where students and teachers came from all ethnic groups.
“Whether you speak Hausa, Yoruba or Igbo, we regarded ourselves as kin.”

He added that both his personal relationships and the many chieftaincy titles he holds reflect the unity he believes Nigeria must continue to uphold. “Wherever I stand in this country… I am at home,” he concluded.

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