Zahra Mohammadu Buhari, one of the daughters of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj.-Gen. Mohammadu Buhari (retd), has said that her father’s ambition is not about her happiness but the wellbeing of every Nigerian.
She said her father was deeply moved with the pains the Peoples Democratic Party administration had inflicted on Nigerians.
The retired army chief’s daughter had gone on Twitter to criticise the PDP’s style of leadership, saying, “I’m really not sure what world PDP is in. It is amazingly frustrating.”
Since Zara’s photographs went viral on social media earlier in the week, she had added some glitz to the presidential campaign.
While she may just be an addition to the Buhari camp, Zahra is sticking out her neck to make independent statements.
On her Twitter handle, which has become a public spectacle in the past few days, the aspiring first daughter said she “wants to be remembered for something good whatever it may be.”
In reference to the concern about her sudden rise to fame on the social media, the United Kingdom-based Zahra tweeted, “I don’t want to live an ordinary life.” She, however, admitted it would cost her something to lead a notable life.
“The least we can do for our parents is support them when they fight for the right things in life,” she continued.
Zahra’ tweeting style may have been considered conservative. She engages her fans in photos and smileys, and retweets popular comments that highlight her father’s strengths. When she needs to send a clear message of her own, she does it scantily.
Yet, she has enjoyed a huge following in recent times with many of her fans pledging support for her father “in appreciation of her beauty.”
Many people have considered her an immense plus to Buhari’s ambition.
On Thursday, one Uche tweeted, “You’ve made a good impact on Twitter, Zahra; and it affects your dad positively. You are a blessing to your family.”
Another fan, Chike, described her as “the true African queen” while a Ghanaian joked, “I’m from Ghana and live in Ghana but I’ll also find a way to vote for your father. I don’t care.”
But for her sudden rise to fame, Zahra is paying a price, as many Nigerians are already raising eyebrows.
On Wednesday, in an open letter that also went viral, one Arikor Ogonnaya, the purported author of the letter, drew her attention to the poor state of educational facilities back home. He said she might have opted for education in Britain because her former military head of state father considered Nigerian schools not good enough for her.
Ogonnaya commended Buhari for giving Zahra what he considered a decent upbringing, a reason, he said, was responsible for her modest dressing. But he regretted that her overnight celebrity status would do her father more bad than good.
He also suggested that the fame the lady was getting was an indication that the politician could not achieve the “change” he anchors his campaign in “his own sitting room.
“Zahra, my point is simply that your picture going viral like that of Kim Kardashian isn’t what your father really wants at the moment. Your name suddenly becoming a trending topic doesn’t augur well for your father’s political bid. It is trending for the wrong reasons.
“Your father is someone who has been hailed throughout the media as a spotless saviour; a sinless messiah and a guiltless saint. His “change” mantra says so. For somebody who is vigorously trying to so ‘change’ Nigeria as he claims, his first port of call should be our attitudes, lifestyle and mentality. And having his daughter’s picture trending on Twitter isn’t the best way to begin such change.
“Politics, as you know it in ‘oyinboland’, has a totally different meaning back here in Nigeria. Nigerian politics is really ‘politicks’ translating into ‘poli’ — many, and ‘ticks’ — blood-sucking insects. Zahra, do you want such blood-sucking political insects to go for your loving father’s blood? I guess not. Well, having your picture trending on social media is such great avenue,” Ogonnaya observed.
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